Life Begins in Ten Seconds
by scarletroseofrwby
Summary: She's the prim and proper CEO of Schnee Industries, the most illustrious and successful company in all of Remnant. The other is the best paintballer in the country. Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose. This is their story. Rated T for mild language and sexual humor
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own RWBY. RWBY and all of its characters belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum.**

**This fanfic is written for those who love Whiterose and for their enjoyment. All readers are welcome, so please enjoy!**

* * *

It had been years. She may never seem like the kind of girl to ever get muddy or splattered with paint, but each time she entered the battlefield, she'd come out unrecognizable. And she loved it.

Her marker was a part of her, a gift she had received from her mother a long time ago. Paintball had become one of her favorite things in life, and she even took it to a professional level. She loved the thrill of running in a muddy field covered in oil paints and broken shells, the way she would take cover and fire shots upon instinct. She loved how her heart raced every battle.

Yes, Weiss Schnee loved paintball, and nobody could stop her.

But then her father died, and her mother remarried. Her stepfather was a good man who owned a very successful company. He was supportive of his stepdaughter, and even more of his wife. Throughout the first two years of high school, she was truly happy. She got good grades, her father was proud, and her mother couldn't be any happier.

Sadly, however, her stepfather became a drunkard not long after the beginning of her junior year. Work got too hard for him, and he had started to lose his edge. For three dreadful months, Weiss had to watch her mother get beaten every night. He came home one night, extremely drunk, and shot her mother. A tragic event that could've easily been prevented. The police found no evidence of anything, and Weiss had lost everything.

Since then, he had banned Weiss from doing anything she loved, which included paintball. College was a struggle as he would nag at her to no end. She graduated with high honors, and her father didn't even show up. Soon, he was forced to resign as CEO because of his constant intoxicated state, and Weiss decided to step up. Because if her father couldn't pick up the pieces of his failing company, she would have to.

Because Weiss was kind like that. She was cold, but kind.

And soon she found her life to be great. She thought she had broken free from her father.

She thought she could be able to live life again. Her messy, thrill-seeking life.

All had been confirmed when she met Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna.

* * *

"C'mon, Weiss, don't be such a stickler. Surely you miss paintball, right?" The blonde with lilac eyes, Yang Xiao Long, was sipping on her iced tea as she glared at Weiss.

Yang had offered, or to be more precise, dragged the CEO to a coffee shop near the company headquarters so that she could have a break. Weiss wasn't too fond of that, but her assistant had insisted she go after saying she was too much of a workaholic. She even added the fact that it was Friday, but Weiss still wasn't convinced. She never was.

"I suppose I do, but-"

"Then why don't you play? Blake and I were actually getting ready for a game tomorrow, you should totally come too!" The blonde reclined in her chair, putting her feet up on the table. "Pyrrha gave me the day off tomorrow, which means I don't have to serve any crappy customers."

"Yang, they can't all be bad." Weiss glanced at the boxing waiter who released a yawn.

"True, probably just Cardin. He's a real a-hole that cheats at paintball every single. Damn. Time."

The raven-haired girl who had a book in hand, Blake Belladonna, looked up and nodded with a smile. "You should let loose, Weiss. I'm sure you've been super busy lately, don't you want to take a break?" The author set down her book and took a sip of her coffee.

The CEO crossed her arms with a huff. "I'm perfectly fine with how things are now. I've decided long ago that I'm past my paintball days. I have to focus on the company and restore it to what it once was."

"I know you do, Weiss, but c'mon. One game. For old time's sake." Yang was really trying, and Weiss could feel her heart giving in.

_No, I refuse. I have a duty to uphold. _Her mind was arguing with her heart.

_But Father wouldn't care one bit. He's a drunk old fart who can't even leave his bed. He lives all the way in Atlas anyway, and I'm here in Vale. One game wouldn't hurt._

The paintballer at heart argued with her mind. They clashed like two swords giving off sparks.

_One game may not hurt in the moment, but it'll definitely open up a can of worms that I'm not really willing to dive into right now._

"Weiss. Paintballers never forget the rush. I know you miss it." Yang waggled her eyebrows to further convince the silverette.

_I do. More than anything._

Even Blake had the same look as her girlfriend beside her. "One game, Weiss. Your company's doing fine, I'm sure. And it's not a huge event, just a small game for fun. One day off can't hurt too bad, can it?"

Weiss sat there, her arms crossed, deep in thought. She couldn't do this. She couldn't go back to those days, they would never return. And she was a grown woman, 23 years old is too old to be playing such a game. At least that was what her stepfather would say.

She shook her head and stood from her seat. "I can't, Yang. I'm sorry, I'm just too busy."

Yang sighed, and Weiss knew she was giving up. "Alright, I guess I can't stop you. But if you ever do change your mind, the game's gonna be at Emerald Forest. Two o'clock. Hope we can see you there."

With a nod, Weiss took her coffee and left the shop in a hurry. She paced quickly to her car and checked her watch. It was already past the end of her shift, and Coco, her assistant, had probably already closed her office by now. Suddenly, she felt a small vibration and pulled out the source, her phone. A text from her assistant had confirmed her suspicions, and with that she decided to go home.

As she drove, she couldn't help thinking about going back onto the field. Her marker had been sitting in her room collecting dust, her rounds probably dried out by now. She'd have to buy a new box of first shots and do a thorough cleaning.

_Father would be angry if he found out._

_Emerald Forest at two. _She couldn't get it out of her head. _Father would be angry IF he finds out._

Once she reached the garage of her apartment building, she pulled into her parking spot and pulled out her phone.

"Hey Coco? I'm going to need you to cancel all my afternoon meetings."

* * *

It had been far too long since Weiss had gone paintballing. She needed to buy some new ammo, new gear, and basically everything else except for her marker. There was no way she was getting rid of her first marker.

She currently had two hours before the game, and 30 minutes before she would leave for the Emerald Forest. That means she had an hour and a half to shop for new gear. The best shop in town was called Rose Markers, a small shop that had the highest quality material in the paintball industry. She stepped into the shop and was greeted by a young man with blonde hair. He had tanned skin, spiky blonde hair, and a striking smile that could convince any woman to sleep with him.

Any woman except Weiss. Men don't interest the CEO.

"Hey there, the name's Sun! What's it you're looking for?" the man asks, the tone in his voice making it clear that he was practically a veteran here.

"I'm looking for a new vest and some proper paintball attire. I'll also need a pack of first shots," Weiss answers, the man named Sun seeming surprised by her reply.

"Well alright then! I can hook you up with the first shots right here. My buddy Jaune can help you with the vest and clothes." Sun points to a counter in the corner that had a few mannequins standing tall with quality vests. Another blonde man, about the same age as Sun, came out of a door and waved at the two.

"Hey, I'm Jaune. What can I help you with?" The young man stands behind he counter, and Weiss notices that Jaune cleans up nicer than his coworker.

"Your best quality vest and attire."

Jaune nods, seeming to wait for more details. "Any specific design?"

"No, just something to keep me layered enough."

"Gotcha. I recommend the signature Rose vest. It can hold four mags in front if your marker is compatible. Takes hits pretty well, and it'll keep you pretty hidden in forests. The Rose vest is actually used by our best paintballer, who is also our owner's niece. She's pretty good, I'd say best in the country." Jaune pulls out one of the vests from the back room behind him. "Go ahead and try it on to see if it fits."

Weiss slid the vest over her head to find that it was a perfect fit, and it actually hugged her figure pretty nicely. She took it off and nodded, satisfied with the item. Jaune then brought out some clothes for her to choose from, and it didn't take long for her to pick a black athletic sweater and some grey, camouflage leggings. They apparently had padding in them to soften hits, which Weiss thought was a plus.

She took the items to the front counter that Sun stood at, the large box of first shots sitting there with him. "You ready to pay?"

The CEO nodded in response, pulling out her credit card from her wallet. She watched as the blonde scanned each item, waiting for his computer to process them. "So, you got a game anytime soon?" He holds out his hand to receive Weiss's credit card.

"Yes," Weiss replies, "I have one today at two."

"That sounds fun. Where're you playing?"

"Emerald Forest."

"That's a pretty nice field, ya know? Anyway, here's your stuff! Have a fun game," he smirks slyly, "Miss Schnee."

Weiss left the shop with a smile on her face as she looked down at the equipment in her hands. She would surely have fun today. She could hardly wait to resume the happiest days of her life. People wouldn't expect Weiss Schnee to enjoy getting splattered with paint while shooting down others with her .68 caliber marker.

The drive to the forest was longer than she had wanted, despite the fact that it only took 20-30 minutes to arrive. In an open field, a few dozen cars were already parked in a small space, and Weiss pulled in to park with them. She had the nicest car there, a Valian Motor Works car, otherwise known as a VMW.

She stepped out of the car and got her gear out of the back, tying her hair up in a bun as she walked over the playing field. Yang and Blake were already there, the blonde one waving as if there was a huge crowd between her and the CEO. Weiss rolled her eyes with a smile as she picked it up to a light jog, meeting the blonde and brunette couple in the matter of a minute.

"So you came after all," Yang smirked. Weiss noticed she was only wearing a tank top and cargo pants. As burly as the boxer was, Weiss didn't think it'd be enough protection from the bullets. Yang noticed her staring and flexed her bicep with a wider smirk than before. "See something you like, Princess?"

With a blush, Weiss looked away and shook her head frantically.

The blond brute laughed. "Sorry, Ice Queen, all of this belongs to my Kitty-Cat."

"Yang, stop teasing the poor girl." Blake lightly smacked her girlfriend's arm.

"Alright, alright. The game's actually about to start, so we should hurry over there."

Weiss followed Yang and Blake to the preparation field. They all put on their masks and barrel plugs, receiving their armbands from the referees. The CEO noticed she was one of the few people that had a magazine-fed (magfed) marker. People looked at her, but most likely her gun, though she couldn't tell if they were surprised or disgusted or whatnot. Maybe these masks were good for more than one thing.

The armband she had received was red, the opposing team being blue. She gathered with Yang and Blake and about 16 other people to start discussing a plan. The game was elimination, Weiss's favorite game to play. The team captain was the other magfed user, wearing the same vest as Weiss was. The captain's vest was messier than hers, but the logo and signature remained the same. With a red scarf tied around the neck, Weiss assumed it was for neck protection rather than a fashion statement. Though, it did look quite flattering.

"Welcome to Emerald Forest, people!" The captain welcomed. The voice was in the lower register for a woman, but higher for a man. Weiss couldn't distinguish what exactly this person was. She felt kinda dumb for not being able to. "Before we begin plotting, I need to know if anyone here uses first shots."

Weiss and Blake raised their hands, the captain nodding. "So you two will come up with me. I'll need you both at least in the middle of the field to reach the ones in the back. Let's see, how many people do we have here?"

"Nineteen people total," Yang answered.

"Nineteen? So if the first shots and I move to the center, I need the rest of you to divide into four groups of four. Go."

The other sixteen people moved among themselves, dividing evenly into the four groups. The captain then named them the first four letters in the Alpha Beta alphabet.

The captain then waved at the referee and held up a thumbs up. The game was now to begin, seeing as the other team was also ready. Weiss followed the group into the forest, removing her barrel plug with everyone else. The captain came up next to her and lightly nudged her on the shoulder.

"Hey, I've never seen you before. Like, I've seen a lot of people here and I don't know them, but you definitely aren't a regular here. You a first-timer?"

"I-"

"Wait, surely you can't be. Rarely do first-timers know what a first shot is, and you're going to be moving up with me." The captain giggled. "Sorry, I interrupted you."

Weiss shook her head and waved it off. "You're fine. I just haven't played in years. It's been a while."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Then welcome back to the battlefield, friend."

The CEO did nothing more than nod, readying herself for the game to begin. She saw the captain check the watch on her left wrist, then suddenly look back to her. "Hey, guess what."

"What?" Weiss queried, cocking her head at the leader.

"Life begins in ten seconds."

How to react to that statement was what Weiss did not know. But her leader wasn't wrong. She counted down ten seconds in her head, and by the time she reached one, the horns had gone off. Life was beginning.

The captain made a break down the center to the first barricade, a couple of giant spools covered in paint. Weiss and Blake followed, their markers armed and ready.

"Team Alpha and Beta flank left, Charlie and Delta to the right! Stay close to the boundary lines and watch the front!" the leader commanded, the four teams sprinting for the outskirts of the battlefield. Turning back to Weiss and Blake, the captain nodded at the two. "Get ready, we're about to break for the center. Head straight for the bunkers up there, I'll cover you both."

The two first shot users crouched at the edges of the spools, rising to prepare for their sprint. The captain rose and started firing, signaling her teammates to proceed. "Go go go!"

The captain ran behind Weiss and Blake as they started shooting down a couple of the blue players, sliding into the wooden bunker in the center of the field. Hands went up and shots were called, and Weiss grinned as she panted. They were now in the perfect position with no exposure to the front of the opposing team as well as the best firing range. It was an eagle eye's view from where they sat, and Weiss armed her marker with a wide smile.

Oh how she missed this.

She looked through the scope and saw a blue player behind a tree. With a small portion of their head sticking out, Weiss took her shot and hit her intended target. The player rose and held their hand up, shouting out the hit as they took the walk of shame off the field.

"You doing good, Weiss?" Blake asked as she fired another round.

"It's _well_, Blake, not _good_. You of all people should know that, especially as an author."

The raven-haired girl chuckled as she turned to face the CEO. "Yang rubs off on me in many ways."

"Disgusting. I didn't need to hear that right now, Blake."

"Hey you two, watch your ten o'clock, there's a squad behind the other bunker." The captain inserted a new mag into their marker, firing off again towards the wood bunker. Looking behind, the captain waved towards Yang's team. "Move forward! We need to push up!"

The four other teams had been pushed to the center section of the field with Weiss's group. By now, there were only a handful of blue teammates remaining, and the captain decided it was time to make a fast break. The gunners on the other side were not the best shots, and Weiss knew that this game was theirs.

"On my signal we charge!" The captain held up their hand, each red player preparing to dash down the center. Weiss and Blake stood from where they were and armed their markers, Weiss changing her ammo to standard paintballs. With the new mag locked in, she waited for her leader's signal.

The arm came down, and all at once, red teammates were rushing down the field as they fired in a frenzy. Hits were called and hands were raised on the other team, but they started to fire back. Yang was first to go down, then another on her team, Blake going down next. There were now seven remaining on the red team and only two on the blue team. Weiss switched back to her first shots and anchored down by one of the wooden structures nearby. Her captain was still charging, dodging every shot as they fired with immaculate precision. One down, one more to go.

The captain was now stuck behind the same tree the opponent was on. If either of them were to fire now, who knows what could happen?

Weiss was not going to risk her captain dying on her. She looked into the scope of her marker and had a perfect shot of the opponent's mask. With a deep breath, she pulled the trigger and watched the bullet fly, paint splattering right on the mask as intended. The hand went up, and now the game had been decided. The horn blared as Weiss smiled.

Seven to zero. An overwhelming defeat for the blue team. Weiss took a barrel plug out of the container outside of the field and put it on her marker, everybody else doing the same. Once they reached the safe zone, she noticed the team captain was mingling with some of the red teammates. Weiss didn't know them, but she had a feeling that she would in time.

The leader of the winning team saw Weiss come out and jogged right up to her. Up close, Weiss could tell that her captain was female. She was considerably bigger than herself seeing her up close like this. With her mask still on, her breaths were muffled inside. "You're the first shot user, right?"

"I am," Weiss replied. She hadn't removed her mask yet either.

"You're really good. Like better than I expected." The leader removed her mask to reveal her face, shaped cheek bones, slightly chapped, pink lips, and beautiful silver eyes that shimmered like the stars. She took off her hat and let her hair fall down her back. It was long, stopping at the middle of her back. She was a brunette with eye-catching red tips. "The name's Ruby Rose."

Weiss removed her mask and let out her long, white hair, the woman named Ruby Rose staring with a smile. "Weiss Schnee."

"Weiss Schnee? You don't seem like one for dirt and paint. What're you doing out here?"

"I actually love paintball. I don't look like it, but it's been my life for years."

Ruby smiled, her silver eyes making Weiss realize that she had never seen such a pair before. "Is that so? Pretty neat. You got a nice marker there. Does it have a name?"

"A name?" Weiss arched an eyebrow in question. "Well, it's a BT TM-"

"No, no, silly, that's not what I mean. Like an actual name!" Ruby held up her marker like a baby. "This beauty right here is Crescent Rose. I got a custom stock to be a crescent so that it was unique."

"It certainly is," the CEO admired. She looked at the gun in her hand and hummed in thought. Then it came to her, the surname of her original father. "Myrtenaster."

The brunette hummed softly. "Myrtenaster. That's a pretty cool name." Ruby took a closer look at Weiss, the latter girl feeling a blush creep onto her cheeks. She prayed to all deities and godly beings that Ruby would not notice. "Hey, I notice you're wearing my signature vest."

"This is yours?"

"Yup! I designed the Rose vests myself! My uncle owns Rose Markers, and it took me ages to get him to approve of my vest design."

"Your uncle owns Rose Markers? That means that you're the best paintballer in the country!"

"Well, that's what they all tell me. I wouldn't say the best in the country, just maybe in the county?"

"Your leadership and strategies are incredible! Don't be so modest, you are incredible!"

Suddenly, a pat on the shoulder startled Weiss enough to get her to scream. Yang started laughing, and Blake rolled her eyes with a smile. "Well well well, I see you've met my sister, Weiss."

"Yang, don't do that. She didn't need any of that," Ruby defended.

"Awe c'mon, Rubes, I'm just joking."

Weiss looked between the two and crossed her arms. "You both are sisters?"

They both smiled and gave the same response. "Yup!"

"The only difference is that she's not as much of an idiot as I am!" Yang exclaimed with a proud grin.

The raven-haired girl face palmed and sighed. "It's more than just that, Yang."

"So, will I see you tomorrow? There's another game, and we're all gonna be here. Seven o'clock in the morning." Ruby looked at Weiss with gentle eyes, a smile showing anticipation. "If you come, you'll get to see why I love morning games."

Weiss pulled out her phone to check her schedule. She had a meeting at eight in the morning, but it wasn't for anything too important. She would have to ask Coco to reschedule. "I'll see you tomorrow."

The leader smiled brightly and nodded. She held out her hand and took Weiss's in her own. "Welcome to the team, Weiss Schnee."

* * *

**I've played paintball before, and as I was reminiscing, I wondered, "What if RWBY met paintball?"**

**Bam, this story was born. It's actually been a while since I last played, but I swear I'll never forget what it's like out there firing paintballs at other people.**

**I hope you all look forward to the chapters to come!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Why do you want to cancel the meeting? You've never done that out of the blue. What's going on, Weiss? Got yourself a partner?"

"No, of course not!"

The personal question made Weiss blush, and the brunette sitting in front of her was laughing like there was no tomorrow. Coco loved risking getting fired, but she knew Weiss would never. They had been working together for years, ever since Weiss graduated from college. Weiss could tolerate Coco's teasing.

"I'll dropkick you out of here before you even realize it."

"Awe, c'mon, Weiss." Coco winked. "Just teasing."

"I invited you over to my house just to tell you I'm cancelling the meeting tomorrow."

"Weiss, I've known you for years. You never invite someone over just to tell them about a simple matter that could be passed over phone." With a smirk, Coco knew she had Weiss cornered. These conversations were all too easy for her to play out.

Weiss sighed in defeat, knowing that Coco was just too good at this game. "There's another paintball game tomorrow. And the leader of my group invited me to play."

"Ooh, do you plan to go out with them?"

"N-No! Well...maybe...I don't know!"

"Who's the leader?"

"Ruby Rose was her name."

Coco hummed as she crossed her arms, staring off into the distance. "Sounds familiar. Is she that one girl who played that rock character in the movie-"

"No."

"No?"

Weiss shook her head. "No. Ruby Rose is the greatest paintballer in the country as far as I know."

"Yeah? How come I've never heard of her? Has it really been that long?" Coco started stressing frantically, taking out her phone to check something. "I haven't gotten wrinkles, have I?! Oh god, I injure myself one time and suddenly I'm not the same paintballer I once was!"

"Coco, calm down, you're fine. You're still twenty-six. How's Velvet doing?"

"Velvet? She's fine, still paintballing. I wish I could join her like I used to. Lemme tell you: knee dislocation is not fun."

"I'm sorry that happened. You two are happy though, right?"

"Of course. We've been dating for about three years now. Why, is Miss Schnee jealous? Perhaps I can hook you up with one of my friends."

"Th-that won't be necessary!" Weiss blushed, Coco laughing across the table. "I-If you won't cancel the meeting, I'll cancel it myself! I'm going to that paintball game!"

"Alright, alright. But you'd better have a date after that game. Like seriously, you're twenty-three! You should be dating someone and make out in the rain or something!" The brunette eyed her boss carefully, her chin resting on her palm.

"What the hell are you imagining?!"

"Dunno, that's what my friend told me three years ago. It's how I started dating Velvet."

"Whatever, just get out of my apartment."

"Okaaaaay!" Coco sang as she trotted out the apartment door.

* * *

It was cold outside. Freezing cold. There was a light misting over the forest, making the grass and dirt all wet and muddy. Wet and muddy was how Weiss liked the battlefield.

Sure enough, the red scarf her captain wore could be seen clearly, and Weiss knew it was Ruby.

"Hey, you made it!" Ruby called out, running right over to Weiss. "You wanna see why I love morning games?"

Taking Weiss's hand, Ruby led the silverette to a small gap between the trees, revealing an unused open field. Just on the horizon, the sun was rising with magnificent colors. The sky was red and pink, orange and yellow hues streaking across the sky. The sun was incredibly bright, the trees casting elongated shadows on the ground.

"Wow," Weiss breathed.

"Right? Isn't it just beautiful?"

Weiss nodded, acutely aware of the hand remaining in her own. "It truly is."

Ruby checked her watch and started taking Weiss back to the main field. "Yang and Blake should be arriving by now."

By the time they made it to the main field, Weiss saw Yang's yellow Valeswagen pull into the grassy lot. She parked right next to Weiss's car, and the blonde and brunette came out with their markers in hand. Yang had something else in hand, though with the distance between her and the blonde, Weiss couldn't tell what it was.

"Hey Rubes! Ice Queen!" Yang calls out as she rushes over to the two, Blake following behind in a leisurely manner. "I'll be honest, I really didn't think you'd be out here today."

"You didn't think I'd show up yesterday, what makes you think you'd expect me here today?"

"Dunno. Is everyone here yet?"

Ruby shook her head. "We're still waiting on Sun and a bunch others. Jaune and the others should be here soon. I think there's supposed to be about ten to twelve people here today. Me and Weiss were the first ones here."

"Weiss and _I_," Weiss corrected.

"Sorry, Weiss and _I_ were the first ones here."

"Either of you have coffee yet? Blake and I brought some for y'all." Yang held up the tray of coffees, passing out each cup to her teammates. "Iced coffee for Rubes, black with nothing else for Weiss, caramel macchiato for Blake, and my yummy latte!"

"Thank you, Yang. That's very considerate of you," Weiss said as she gladly took the beverage. The smell of the dark roast made her hum peacefully.

The four sat down in a patch of grass illuminated by the sun's gentle rays, drinking their coffees as they waited for the others to arrive. One by one, more people started to arrive until everybody was ready and Weiss had finished her coffee. The two blondes Weiss had met yesterday, Sun and Jaune, had arrived with their equipment and wide smiles.

"Hey there, if it ain't Miss Schnee! Didn't think I'd see you here; it's a small world, ain't it?" Sun seemed very enthusiastic today, and Weiss assumed it was under the influence of caffeine.

"Sun!" Ruby called out, the two of them doing an odd handshake that Weiss could not keep up with. There were fist-bumps, high-fives, other odd hand gestures and motions, and a weird chest-bump at the end. "Better late than never, huh?"

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that! Neptune found a leak in the apartment and wouldn't stop fussing over it."

"Oh Sun, God bless your soul. How can you be dating a guy that can't stand water?"

Sun shrugged. "Dunno, but I manage. Anyway, did you meet Miss Schnee?"

"I did. I met her yesterday at the game that you missed. Her name is Weiss Schnee, and she's an amazing paintballer. Like seriously, I haven't seen anyone aside from Blake use first shots so well."

"Really?" Sun turned and faced Weiss, crossing his arms as a wide smile appeared on his face. "I'm really excited to hear that. Gonna be honest, I was surprised when you came in yesterday, even more so when you knew exactly what you were asking for. You don't seem like one for mud and paint."

"That's what I said!" Ruby added.

"Not that that's a bad thing, I just-"

Weiss smiled and waved it off. "No, I get it. I'm all prim and proper, and not a lot of people know this side of me."

"There's another side to you?" Ruby arched an eyebrow, and Sun squeezed the brunette's shoulder.

"Rubbles, you're talking to the CEO of Schnee Industries, the leading company of the whole world."

In that moment, Weiss hadn't seen a jaw drop or eyes widen as quickly as Ruby's had.

"You're the CEO of Schnee Industries?! Holy crap, I'm in the presence of the richest person in the world. J-Jeez, um, I-I don't know what to say or do now."

"Please don't think of me any differently. I'd really rather be a friend than a business person to you."

"Really? Then, I guess, um...do you want to get some lunch after the game?" Ruby started stammering, her face turning as red as her tipped hair. "I-I mean, like, i-if you aren't busy or anything, you're probably super busy...why'd I ask in the first place, I, um-"

"Ruby," Weiss cut off Ruby's blabbering by gently holding her shoulder. "I'd be happy to."

Ruby smiled, her face still very red. "S-Sweet. Ready for the game?"

"As ready as you are," Weiss replied, returning Ruby's smile.

With a nod, Ruby gathered the team up. "Alright, gather around everyone! For those of you who were here yesterday, the game's the same. We're playing elimination. Do we all have our armbands?"

Just as Ruby asked her question, one of the refs came up behind her with a box of red armbands. Ruby gladly took it as she thanked the ref.

"Looks like we're red team again. I have no idea what the other team will be, so be careful and watch your shots. Does everyone remember their squads from yesterday?"

Everyone nodded except for the blonde named Sun. Ruby nodded at him and looked to Yang. "Sun, I'll place you with Yang's team."

"Gotcha," he replied, winking at the leader.

"Next order of business. We're going against Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora, and a few other names that I don't remember right now. Pyrrha's strong in pushing forward, so all of you watch your front." Leaning in closer to Weiss, Ruby said Pyrrha was the one with pure red hair, Ren was a raven-haired, green ninja with a pink streak, and Nora was a ginger that usually got out within the first couple of minutes in the game. "Ren is incredibly stealthy and will fire first shots all the way from the back. Keep good cover and watch the back for him. Nora isn't strong in evading attacks or taking cover very well, but her offense is incredible. Watch out for her at all costs. She will go gung-ho with that marker if she gets the chance."

"What about Jaune?" Weiss asked quietly to her leader as the others started conversing among each other.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about him. He usually takes the boundary lines and stays away from everything. He's not the best shot either."

"Oh."

"Yup." Ruby gathered the attention of her team once more. "Is anyone using smoke bombs?"

Sun's hand went up. "I've actually got a few."

"That's prefect. If things get pretty dicey, we'll send in kamikazes."

Weiss crossed her arms. She couldn't recall if those were allowed. "Kamikazes? Is that legal in paintball?"

"Yeah, as long as we aren't aimlessly firing. It should be enough smoke to screen their vision, but not ours. Besides, I've actually trained these guys to maneuver through smoke screens."

How is that possible? This woman-who seemed around her late teens, possibly early twenties-was incredible, more than Weiss could ever imagine. She leads these groups as if she had been in the army. She trained these groups to work in smoke. What's next, she teaches them how to fly? Weiss wouldn't question her if she actually managed to figure it out.

"Alright, the assigned kamikazes will be Blake, Yang, and you-" Ruby pointed to another teammate beside her. "On my signal, Sun will toss a smoker and you all will break in the same direction as the smoke. Use it to your advantage and take out as many people as you can. If it ends up being only Ren again, push towards the back and smoke him out of there. There's no way he'll be able to hold it off on his own this time. We've got another first shot user with us."

Ruby nodded at Weiss with a grin. "Everyone got it?"

The whole team nodded in response, some responding with "yes ma'am" or a simple 'yup'.

"Then let's play some paintball!" The leader sent a thumb-up to the referee, who nodded in return.

Another moment went by, and both teams were ready. Ten seconds to go, and Ruby was ready to go. Her eyes contained a fire that Weiss had never seen before. Those silver eyes were filled with a wonder and passion for the sport of paintball.

When the horn blew, Weiss followed her leader to the very end.

* * *

They were stuck in a tight spot. Only two of the opposing stood, and those two happened to be Pyrrha and Ren. Weiss looked to Ruby, the brunette having the same look of anxiety. They outnumbered the other team by two, Yang and Sun still stood alive.

"Sun, I'll have to send you both in! We can't reach them from here!" Ruby called out, waiting as Sun prepared the smoke bomb. Then turning to Weiss, the leader grabbed the CEO's shoulders firmly, staring intensely into icy-blue eyes. "Weiss, if all fails, I'll go in with them. Should I get shot, I need you to do your best and finish this game. Can I count on you to do it?"

"I'm not sure if I can, I only got back to paintball yesterday and I'm still a little rusty-"

"Can I count on you? No matter what it is, what the issue or scenario may be, I just want to know that I can count on you." Ruby loosened her grip, but her gaze remained. "Can I count on you, Weiss?"

She had only known Ruby for less than 24 hours. Ruby was already asking so much. And despite being complete strangers, Weiss answered without hesitation.

"You can count on me, Ruby." Weiss took Ruby's hand and pulled her closer, their masks touching. "And I will count on you. Do your best and make every shot worth it."

Ruby nodded, and despite the mask she had on, Weiss knew she was smiling. "I promise."

Nodding at Sun, the blonde threw in at least three smoke bombs, enough to cover them all for the frenzy. "Go now! Go now! Get them, Yang! Go Sun!"

The two blondes rushed through the smoke, firing towards the opposing two with every chance they got. Ruby waited, nervously and impatiently for a hit to be called. She had faith in her teammates, knowing that they could handle themselves just fine. But it was when a hit called from a familiar voice did Ruby look to Weiss with concerned eyes.

"Yang's down. Back me up." Ruby stood, ready to make a break for the smoke. Weiss rose to a squatting position, ready to cover her leader and advance to the next barricade.

"Sorry Rubbles! I'm out too!" Sun called out as he walked off the field.

It was now two on two.

Looking on ahead as the red leader sprinted, Weiss noticed a redhead waiting just beyond the smoke. "Ruby, watch your barrel! She's just up ahead!" Weiss peeked through the scope of her marker, taking as many shots as she could to land on the opposing player. Before she could land a shot on the redhead, Ruby held up her hand and called out her hit, which meant Weiss was the final representative for her team.

"I'm sorry, Weiss! Win it for us!"

The redhead walked off with her, Weiss being proud of her shot on the redhead from the distance she was at. All that was left was the one named Ren, a green ninja, as Ruby explained him. Weiss carefully advanced to the nearest wooden structure, which provided enough cover from all around. By now the smoke was clear, and Weiss surveyed the area desperately for the final opposing player before she could get shot. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a barrel and mask peeking out from behind a tree, and Weiss wasted not a second to take her shot.

She missed, and the mask disappeared behind the tree. Weiss crouched down behind the wall to get out of sight of the other player.

"Dammit, c'mon. I can't lose this. I can't let her down." Weiss's grip on her marker tightened, steeling herself for the next moment.

This wasn't good. Both of them were aware of their positions on the field, and one hit was the determining factor. Weiss had to take the risk. Peeking up ever so slightly, the player's knee was just within range, and she took her shot. She watched as the paint bullet flew through the air and explode right on his knee, costing him the whole game. The hand went up, and the shot was called.

Weiss had won the game.

The horn went off, and Weiss stood from her position. She noticed one of the refs walking over to her, waving excitedly.

"Weiss, I didn't think you were that good!"

The CEO stood frozen for a moment, trying to figure out how this referee knew her and why that voice sounded so familiar. Something then clicked in her mind as she got a further inspection through the mask.

"Coco? What the hell are you doing here?! You should be at work! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fire you right here and now."

"Today's my day off. You didn't forget about that, did you? Velvs told me there was a game she was reffing for and that they needed one more ref. So I stepped in to help, and not only did I get to witness this Ruby Rose you were talking about, I got to watch my boss kick some ass!" Coco laughed and shook her partner's whole body with excitement. "You are incredible!"

"Alright, let me go now. I have a lunch meeting with someone later, and you are only getting in the way." Weiss started to walk away, Coco standing in her spot, deep in thought.

"A lunch meeting? Wait," Coco started jogging to catch up with Weiss, "do you mean a date? Weiss Schnee, did you actually get yourself a date?"

"No, we are only going out as friends."

"Nuh-uh, I don't think so. It's that Ruby chick, isn't it? You're going on a date with her, aren't you?"

"Shut up right now or I _will_ fire you."

The brunette scoffed. "That's what you said for the past two years. C'mon, Weiss, you can't fire your best friend."

Weiss grunted as she walked off the field, putting a barrel plug over her marker. She removed her mask and immediately noticed Ruby sprinting towards her.

"Weiss! You did it! You won the game!" Ruby embraced the shorter girl in a tight hug. "I knew you wouldn't let me down!"

"But you got shot."

"But I did my best?" She smiled goofily, only making Weiss's smile wider. "Anyway, wanna get some lunch now? Since you won, I'll let you choose. I'll pay."

"Oh, no, you really don't have to. You were the leader, so I think it's fair if you choose."

Ruby shook her head. "Nope, you had the winning shot. My policy is winning shooter chooses the diner. Or at least that's what Yang says."

"Will we be eating with Yang?" Weiss started walking over to one of the tents in the open field to clean off her belongings and pack up her things. Ruby followed closely behind her.

"No," the brunette shook her head. "They're going home after this. I just wanted to get to know you more since you seem pretty cool."

"Then...do you want meet at Casa Vale? Is twelve okay?"

"Sounds good!" Ruby grinned and helped Weiss with her marker and mask. "It's a date!"

Weiss checked her watch. It was eleven on the dot. She had an hour to drive home, take a shower and get ready, and then drive to the restaurant. The casual lunch meeting turned into a date in the matter of seconds, and Weiss was not sure how to go about it. She had gone on dates before, none of them being women, and none of them lasting very long.

But Weiss could feel that this was going to be different. Ruby didn't seem like them. In many more ways than one.

As Weiss got into her car, she watched as Ruby waved on the way to her own vehicle, a brand Weiss did not know. It was beautiful dark red and, though a little muddy, had plenty of character. It wasn't too big or too small, a rightfully sized car for a young woman like her.

In all of her honesty, and rarely does she ever admit to it, Weiss was nervous. The ride home went by faster than she could blink, and no, she was not speeding. The shower was swift, and now she was troubled with what to wear. It was a casual date, nothing fancy. There was no need to outdo or upstage anyone, but Weiss had the tendency to do so without trying or meaning to. After dawdling at her closet for much longer than necessary, she settled on a pair of white jeans, a white graphic t-shirt, and a humble, light blue blazer. She tied her hair up quickly in her usual side pony tail, grabbed her keys, and rushed out to the garage on the bottom floor of the building.

She had less than ten minutes to get to the restaurant, and the drive was typically a twenty-minute drive.

"Crap crap crap crap crap, please don't be here before me. Please don't be here before me. Please don't be here before me." Weiss hated being late to anything, and with her given time, she could only hope that Ruby was running late as well or that she wasn't as much of a stickler as she was.

When Weiss arrived, she didn't see Ruby's red car parked anywhere, a great relief to her. Vacating the white vehicle, Weiss went inside the restaurant where she was immediately greeted by the front of the house.

"Oh, Miss Schnee! A pleasure to see you! To what do I owe this pleasure?" A small, round man came up to the silverette and shook her hand.

"You as well, Klein. I'm actually waiting for someone," Weiss responded, looking around the restaurant for any telltale signs of the paintballer.

"I see. Would you like to find a seat? If they arrive, I'll be sure to send them over."

Weiss nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Klein."

"My pleasure, Miss Schnee." His furry, brown mustache waggled as did his eyebrows. He smiled widely with delight and joy.

The CEO took a seat in a secluded area shrouded by plants and unoccupied booths. She browsed on her scroll for a bit before a certain brunette came panting, her red-tipped hair slightly tousled and unkempt. At least she wasn't wearing her muddy paintball clothes. "Sorry I'm late, Weiss! Traffic in my area was insane, and I thought I could make it by running from my apartment."

"How far do you live?"

"About fifteen minutes away on the north side. I didn't keep you waiting long, did I?"

Weiss shook her head. "I actually arrived not even ten minutes ago."

"Oh really? What a relief." Ruby sat down in the oppositely-facing chair, trying as best she could to fix her mane of onyx and red.

"So you ran all the way here?"

Ruby nodded. "I was on the track team in high school. Me and Sun go on marathons from time to time, so running is pretty much a part of me."

The round, middle-aged man came back with two menus. "Welcome to Casa Vale, ladies. Today's special is _Spaghetti alle vongole_, which I highly recommend. Drinks are one lien from twelve to two, and dessert is two for one. My name is Klein, and I will be your server for today. Any questions?"

Both girls shook their heads in response, and Klein smiled with a nod. "Anything to drink?"

"Just water," Ruby replied.

"Water for me as well."

"Alright! I'll be right back with those waters," Klein said as he walked off.

"So Ruby, what do you do?" Weiss asked as she looked up from her menu.

The other girl looked up from hers as well, seeming eager to respond. "I work at Rose Markers. I'm usually in the marker department since I'm pretty sure I know the most about the guns more than anyone else in the shop. I play paintball professionally, as you can imagine, and I sometimes referee for a little extra pay. Now my turn to ask you something." Ruby squinted her eyes as she closely examined Weiss. "Where and what did you study?"

_Easy question_, Weiss thought. "I studied business and economics at Beacon University. What about you?"

"No way, you went to Beacon too? I studied art there!" Ruby giggled, only widening Weiss's smile. "When'd you graduate?"

"Three years ago. You?"

"Also three years ago. By the time I was fourteen, my GPA was already higher than a senior high school student. Beacon noticed me and gave me a full scholarship."

By the time she was fourteen? Did Weiss hear that correctly? That means...

"Does that mean you graduated high school at-"

"Graduated high school at fourteen, graduated college at seventeen. Yup, which means I'm twenty now. Gonna be twenty-one in a few months." The brunette grinned. "You're a smart cookie like me, aren't you? How old are you?"

"Twenty-three," Weiss responded.

"That means you started college at sixteen. It's a small world, huh?"

As shocking as this news was, Weiss could only find herself smiling like Ruby. "I suppose it is."

Minutes later, Klein came back with their waters, took their orders, and let them be once again. As they conversed, Weiss couldn't help but notice how beautiful Ruby really was. The way she smiled to punctuate every sentence, the way her silver eyes would gaze gently into her own, the look she gave every time she was on the verge of laughing, it was all beautiful. Weiss had not met anyone like Ruby before, and as she got to know this girl, she could only think to herself-

_How is there no one else in the world like you?_

"...and then Jaune was caught in a point-blank situation. They both surrendered, which led to a tie game. I really wish we could've gone into overtime. Anyway," Ruby took a sip from her water and set the glass back down rather loudly. "Tell me, Weiss Schnee, just how exactly did someone as illustrious and as magnificent as you get into paintball, one of the messiest sports to exist?"

"How did _I_ get into paintball?" Weiss had to ask the question twice to emphasize her point, though it only seemed like she had to ask herself. "Paintball has been my whole life. My mother had been a paintballer in high school and decided to get me into it. I've been playing for as long as I can remember."

"But then yesterday you told me that it had been a while. What happened then?"

"That's..." Although she wanted to share her story and all that had happened within the past few years, she had just met Ruby and did not feel ready to tell her-or anyone for that matter-of what took paintball away from her. "That's something I'm not willing to share right now. It's somewhat personal, and I'm sorry I can't tell you more right now."

"Oh, no, I totally get it. I'm sorry for intruding on your privacy."

Weiss shook her head. "It's nothing like that, it's just hard for me."

Klein came back soon enough with their food, letting the two girls be as they began to eat. As the two ate their meals, they conversed as if they had known each other for years. Weiss laughed genuinely, wondering how long ago it had been since she had last laughed like this. During the time it took for them to eat their meals, Weiss had learned quite a few things about Ruby. Ruby _is_ the top paintballer in the country, she graduated both high school and college with her sister, she has a dog named Zwei, and her red tips are natural. Ruby also earned the right to call herself an artist. The younger woman showed her a few pictures of her paintings and sketches, and Weiss's immediate thought was she could barely even draw a stick figure.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Weiss joked as she set down her utensils. "You're just way too talented, there's got to be something you _can't_ do at all."

"Yeah, there totally is! Like, I can't do hair to save my life. I can do ponytails and a side braid if I really tried, but buns and anything else are out of the question." Ruby chuckled at herself as she tried to think of other things she wasn't good at. "I can't ride a bike either. My mom never learned, my dad could not teach despite his valiant efforts, and Yang didn't even bother with it. She'd bike me around anyway by tying a wagon to the back of her bike. Those were fun days until I broke my arm."

"Let me guess: you fell out of the wagon." The CEO grinned as if she were proud of her most definitely correct answer. Ruby shaking her head was a devastating blow to her self-esteem.

"Nope!" Ruby popped the 'p' as if she were proud of Weiss's error. "I hopped out of the wagon, saw something under it, went to reach it, and then Yang...well...you could probably guess from there. She kinda ran over my arm, and that definitely hurt like hell, and I'll admit that it wasn't my brightest moment. But I was like two years old, and despite my smarts, I don't think I had a lot of common sense."

"And you're saying you do now?" was Weiss's retort, Ruby giggling like a child.

"Alright, I'll give you that one. Now then, since you graduated at a younger-than-average age as well, what can you do?" The brunette suddenly gasped, Weiss arching an eyebrow in question. "Wait, don't tell me. If you can fire first shots like a professional sniper, I bet you could pilot a plane with ease. What can't you do?"

"Well, I'm not so sure about piloting a plane." Weiss looked up in thought, a light bulb suddenly turning on in her head. "I can't cook. No, that's a lie, I _can_ cook, just not very well. I cook to survive, not as a profession. People bring me lunch most of the time."

"Anything else?" Ruby really wanted to know everything about Weiss.

"Um, I'm not very sure at the moment."

"Well then, you must be an incredible human being."

"I wouldn't say that," Weiss murmured, Ruby catching it unexpectedly.

"But you are! You're super smart, you're super talented, and you're super beautiful!"

This made Weiss pause. Ruby thought she was beautiful? Not just pretty, but beautiful? Even with the scar running down her left eye? "You think I'm beautiful?"

"Well of course! Who wouldn't?" Ruby cocked her head to the side and stared into icy blue eyes. "If I'm completely honest though, I think you're absolutely gorgeous."

"I-I don't know." Weiss knew she was presentable, maybe pretty, but never saw perceived herself as beautiful or gorgeous. Especially the mark that marred her face. People had told her before just to get close, just to use her for money or fame or any other reason, but Ruby was different. She seemed and looked like she meant it.

"Alright-y, I guess it's time to pay the check. Hey, we should totally meet up again sometime. Hey, you got a—" Ruby suddenly pulled out her scroll, looking at Weiss apologetically. "Sorry, I've gotta take this."

The brunette turned away with the device up to her ear. "No, no, I didn't forget. I'll be there soon, Yang, chill."

When Ruby hung up, Weiss arched an eyebrow. "What did Yang call for?"

"Tonight's the big match between Ironwood and Lionheart. They're both pretty big boxers, and Yang's betting on Ironwood."

"Ah," Weiss nodded, "I see."

With a titter, Ruby stood and grabbed Weiss's hand. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

Weiss stared at the hand holding her own, her eyes fixed on how much larger it was. Slender, long, calloused fingers were grasping and intertwining with her own. Ruby noticed how fixated Weiss was and gave a gentle squeeze, sending a warm smile her way. Weiss felt her heart flutter at the smile.

When the meal was paid and all was said and done, they both walked up to Weiss's car. Weiss got into the vehicle and turned on the engine, Ruby standing at the driver's door. "We stayed in there longer than I thought. It's nearly evening."

"Yeah," Weiss tittered. "Thought they would've kicked us out at around two."

Ruby rubbed the back of her head a nervously laughed. "Hehe, yeah."

"Ruby, I can give you a ride home if you want."

"Actually? That'd be great!" Ruby walked around the side of the vehicle and sat in the passenger's seat. "Thanks a lot, Weiss."

As Weiss pulled out, she could feel Ruby glancing at her. "I need to know where you live in order to drop you off."

"Oh, right, sorry. I live on the north side at Fifth and Main Street."

"You live close to my office."

"What about you?" Ruby turned her head to face Weiss. "Where do you live?"

"West side. It's about a twenty minute drive from my apartment to work."

"That's twice the amount of time it takes me."

Within a few more minutes, Ruby's apartment building was within sight, and the brunette pointed it out as soon as she saw it. Weiss stopped in front of the entrance, waiting for Ruby to vacate her seat. She seemed hesitant to do anything in the moment, and as Weiss was about to ask, Ruby took the opportunity from her.

"Will I see you again?"

Weiss reached into her glove compartment and retrieved a sticky note and pen. She wrote down a few digits and handed it to the younger woman with a small smile. "Does this answer your question?"

"I guess so!" Ruby grinned toothily as she leaned in closer to Weiss.

Feeling a pair of lips press against her cheek brought surprise to Weiss. They were warm and soft, slightly chapped, but full of character. Ruby then got out of the passenger seat and waved at Weiss, her toothy grin shaping into a sly, earnest smile.

"I'll be sure to call you, Weiss. Have a good night."

She watched as the professional paintballer walk into the building, not to be seen for who knows how long? Could be days, weeks, maybe even months, but Weiss had a feeling it would be soon. Very soon. Ruby left her wanting more. Ruby made her _want_ like never before. Weiss couldn't remember the last time she had been this sore.

"What the hell am I doing? I'm rhyming in my head right after being kissed by Ruby, a girl who I had just met yesterday." Weiss let her hands rise to her face, not sure of whether she was covering her face in shame or embarrassment. "Pull yourself together, Schnee!"

Sitting up properly, she pulled out from the front of the building and continued down the road, realizing that she was going in the wrong direction. She couldn't focus, and not even a full minute went by when Ruby started calling her. Weiss had ended up at her office building, picking up her scroll.

_"Hey, um...are you free tomorrow?"_

Weiss smiled brightly, her heart feeling warm at the sound of Ruby's melodic voice.

"Game or date?"

_"Is both okay?"_

"More than okay, Ruby. Tell me when and where and consider it a date."

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Reviews and thoughts are always appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**If you know paintball or understand most of the terms by far, congrats! You don't need to read this! You can scroll ahead to the chapter. Enjoy!**

**But if you don't, I suggest you continue reading this before you dive in.**

**I probably should have added this in the first chapter, but it slipped my mind until someone brought it up. Here some paintball terminology that will hopefully be helpful to you non-paintball folk.**

**All of these are in my words, so if you all want a more detailed description, I suggest looking them up. Same goes with any term I may not add on here that may pop up in the reading.**

**Marker****= the paintball gun**

**Mag= the paintball cartridge or magazine (like a normal gun)**

**First**** Shots****= special paintballs meant for long distances, typically used with any .68 caliber marker (.68 is the standard barrel diameter and paintball size)**

**Hopper= a canister connected to the marker that holds and automatically feeds paintballs into the marker (usually the big thing on top of your stereotypical paintball gun, which is not what Ruby or Weiss use)**

**Flank= an area in which the proceeding team can breach without being detected immediately by the opposing team (if used as an action _(i.e flank left), _usually means _go left_)**

**These are what will commonly appear in the reading, so I hope this helps! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Today was a slow day at the office. Weiss had four meetings that were back-to-back, which was not a good choice on her own half. She was what could only be described as an overworked office potato, if that was even a thing. She was mentally and physically drained, and she still had six more hours until she got off work.

"Weiss, why don't you go home? Go take a nap or something, you look awful." Coco entered into Weiss's office with another mug of coffee. This was Weiss's fifth cup today, and Coco promised herself that this was the last cup she would bring in for the day. "Seriously, all this coffee isn't going to help you now. You need to sleep, especially after four back-to-back meetings."

"I'm fine, I'll be fine," Weiss slurred as she took the mug from her assistant's hands.

"Nope, you don't look fine. Besides, don't you have another date today? You don't want to go straight after work and look like absolute crap. Go home and sleep, Weiss. I'll even set an alarm for you to wake you up." The brunette took Weiss's scroll and set an alarm for an hour before the date, which left her at least three hours of sleep. "See? It's all good. Now go home, I'll handle whatever's left here."

Weiss seemed hesitant, only because she never went home early. She felt more drained than this, but those days she had nothing else to do. She had nothing to come home to. Now she was dating someone. This was going to be her seventh date, and she refused to be late and look the least bit presentable.

With a sigh, Weiss gave up and took her coat and belongings, thanking Coco as she walked out of her office.

As soon as she got into her car, she found herself in bumper-to-bumper traffic. This was one of the many reasons she hated living on the west side, but she couldn't be bothered to move out. She never had the time for it.

"Come to think of it, I don't think I spend that much time at home at all," Weiss mumbled to herself. "Only to sleep."

She really was a workaholic. With a loud yawn, the traffic started moving, and within the next thirty minutes, she made it home and flopped onto her bed. She set her phone out on her bedside table, dropped her coat and bag, and drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

Weiss had to admit, she was really thankful for Coco. The alarm went off, and she felt energized enough for the rest of the day. She had another game today with Ruby, and then their date would commence. That had become their typical meetup, and Weiss was sure to enjoy each one.

Grabbing her paintball gear, she prepared her hair in a side ponytail and got into her car. On the way there, she got a chain of texts from Ruby. Most of them were a bunch of memes and silly pictures of her dog, the rest were rants about paintball markers. Weiss didn't understand the majority of what she was saying, but she still enjoyed reading through the texts at every red light.

By the time she arrived, she noticed that there were fewer vehicles than what she was used to seeing. Only a few yards away, she saw Ruby already running up to her car.

"Hey Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed as the CEO got out of her car. "How was work?"

"Exhausting. My assistant made me go home early to sleep." Weiss grabbed her gear and walked with Ruby to the field.

"Coco, right? That's sweet of her. Did you have a lot of meetings?"

"Four of them. Back-to-back." Despite the tired tone in her voice, Weiss continued to smile as Ruby held her hand.

The younger woman tittered. "Wow, Weiss, that's crazy. Were they boring?"

"More than you could imagine."

"I bet. Well, the boredom shall cease now that you're here!" As they reached the preparation tents, they loaded their magazines and cleaned their markers.

"So, what's the game today?" Weiss asked.

"Magfed Capture the Flag. I'll bet you noticed the small amount of people."

"Magfed only?" The CEO made a noise of realization. "That makes sense now. I was somewhat confused about that."

"So how long have you had Myrtenaster?" Ruby queried, still focused on her gun.

Weiss looked up and gazed at Ruby, who turned her head to face Weiss. "You remembered it's name?"

"Well, yeah!" The brunette grinned proudly. "Myrtenaster is the first BT TM-15 I've ever seen in person. Hehe, I'm somewhat of a marker geek."

"Nothing wrong with that." Weiss loaded her magazine into her marker and started filling the rest of her mags. "I've had this marker since I was a child."

"Really?" An eyebrow arched in question. "If that's the case, how have you not played any magfed games before?"

The businesswoman shrugged. "I suppose they weren't very common then. At least in Atlas."

Silver eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. "You're from Atlas? Oh wow, I've always wanted to go there! I heard the snow fields are so fun to play in! And then there's also Argus' paintball conventions!"

Weiss shrugged again and cocked her head. "I'll admit that it's fun, but you have to be careful you don't get lost. Especially in large events; many of my teammates have nearly died of hypothermia. They wandered too far."

"Whoa, that's scary. But we should totally go together! I know I wouldn't get lost if I have a veteran like you!"

The older woman hoped Ruby didn't see the blush on her cheeks. She tried to hide it with a smirk. "You flatter me. Dolt."

Ruby received a flick to the forehead and dramatically stumbled backwards. "What'd I do?"

Before she knew it, Weiss started walking off with her gear prepared. Ruby rushed to finish filling her mags before sprinting to catch up with Weiss. "Weiss, wait! Don't leave me!"

* * *

As the two met up with the rest of their team, the referees went to each team and handed them their armbands. Ruby and Weiss ended up being the blue team, Ruby being slightly disappointed by that.

"Awe man," the young woman grumbled, "I'm always on the red team. Oh well, guess it can't be helped."

Weiss tittered and helped Ruby gather up the other members of the team. Of course, Ruby was leader once again. Weiss knew Ruby was a better leader than she could ever be, but that didn't bother her. Ruby was humble and kind about it.

"Alright peeps, let's get this game going! Any first shot users? I know you are, Weiss," Ruby said as she looked around the group. One other person raised their hand, revealing the sniper rifle hanging behind their back.

The leader smiled and clapped her hands together in joy, seeming very ecstatic about a sniper joining their team. "No way, is that a Carmatech SAR12C? Holy crap, that's amazing!" With a bright grin, she rubbed her hands together. "I've got a great plan for you. Weiss, do you mind going to the front lines with me?"

"Don't mind at all," Weiss responded easily.

"Right, so how many people do we have here? Six? Seven?" Ruby muttered something unintelligible that only the ones right next to her could hear. "You'd think that I'd be able to count after graduating at seventeen..."

"Seven people counting the both of us, Ruby," Weiss informed.

"Thanks, Weiss." The young leader stared at the ground for a moment before looking back up at her team. "Here's the plan: Weiss and I will take the front and hopefully mow down their front liners. We need a pair to back us up and a pair to defend against those who pass us. If you have an open lane to the flag, take it. Doesn't matter who or where you are, if you got a shot at getting to their flag, _do not _hesitate."

A young man raised his hand. "What if they get past our defense?"

"Miss Sniper here-"

"It's May," the sniper interrupted.

"Miss May will snipe 'em down." Ruby fixed her gaze on the sniper. "The field's pretty hilly, so I doubt finding a good perch will be a problem."

With less than a minute remaining, the captain briefed the plan once more, divided the pairs, and waved at the referee on the side. Both teams were now ready, and the referees started leading them onto their sides of the field. Ruby wasn't wrong about the field. Weiss immediately noticed the abundant amount of hills there were as well as wooden pallets and plastic tubes for barricades.

Ruby checked her watch and nudged Weiss gently. "You know what time it is."

"Ten seconds?" Weiss questioned, a smile forming under her mask.

"You ready for this?"

"To fight along side you? I've been ready for a very long time."

The captain winked and prepared her marker. "Atta girl."

Horns blared and paintballers sprinted for the nearest barricade. Weiss followed Ruby to a wooden wall in the center flank, a dozen yards out from their flag, the support pair running after them. Ruby turned her head and saw May all the way in the back, poised on a tall hill close to their flag.

"Sniper in position. Ready to get crazy?"

Weiss nodded. "Let's do it."

The two stood up and sprinted further down the field, splitting left and right to take out other players. The respawn for each team was set to the side of the field beyond the boundary lines. Each player had three lives, as told by the referees. Weiss knew she and Ruby would have to move quickly if they were to beat the respawned players across the field and to the flag.

About ten minutes went by when the white and red pair were about a few yards away from the flag. Two opposing players and one of their own were out, Weiss still had her three lives, and Ruby was down to two.

"Weiss!" Ruby waved her hands to get Weiss's attention, in which she was able to get in less than a second. "You take the flag, I'll cover you! It's all on your command!"

The businesswoman nodded back as she looked beyond her wall of protection. The lane was clear, and she only had a few short moments before the other team realizes and closes it up. She looked at Ruby and signaled her to charge, leaving her wall and sprinting to the flag. With the flag in hand, Weiss made a mad dash towards the center, Ruby following after her as she cleared the way for her teammate. Weiss cleared the center of the field when the rest of her teammates opted to help out, and by the time the horn blared, Weiss had made it to the end of their side.

Gradually growing louder, Weiss heard her name being called for an extended length of time. She turned her head to see Ruby rushing towards her with her arms open wide. "Weiss! You did it! We won!"

After nearly being toppled by her excited partner, Weiss returned Ruby's hug and smiled. "Yes we did. This is our, what, third win in a row?"

"Yup! Ready to go out now? There's this one movie we should totally watch together, I think you'd really like it!"

"Alright, sounds good. When and where do you want to go? I can pick you up if that's okay," Weiss suggested as she removed her mask and made her way to the tents.

Ruby followed closely behind, her mask in hand and marker in the other. "Yeah, you can pick me up, that's fine; I'll pay for gas if you need me to. Maybe around six? Then we can go to Vale Theater and get some dinner afterwards."

"Good plan." Weiss checked the time on her scroll. It was 4:46 PM. She had plenty of time to go back home and shower. She started feeling gross in her sweaty paintball clothes. "I'll see you then."

"I'll be waiting!" Ruby grinned as she watched Weiss proceed towards her car. Weiss winked back, unable to contain the wide smile on her lips.

Ruby Rose was certainly different than anyone Weiss had dated before, and in all the best ways possible. The young woman was unpredictable, peppy, energetic. She definitely didn't seem out for her wealth or power, unlike the others she had dated before. Ruby was a nice change of pace from all of them, and Weiss had a good feeling that Ruby might just be the one person who appreciated her for who she really was rather than a CEO or a tycoon.

To be brief, she liked Ruby. She took a fondness towards the girl and only wanted to be closer. Ruby was an incredible, talented woman, who wouldn't want to be?

But were they officially a couple? They had gone on several dates prior to this one, so is it too soon to consider each other girlfriends? Maybe it was too soon to think about it, they've only gone on six dates-seven after today. Weiss would have to wait and see.

* * *

It was only going to be a movie and then dinner. Probably a casual, laid-back restaurant. Nothing too fancy. Don't overdress. No need to overdress.

"How the hell do I always end up in this situation?"

Weiss was torn. She never wanted to upstage Ruby, but in their most recent dates, she might as well have. Ruby usually dresses in jeans, a graphic t-shirt, and a flannel. Stylish, trendy, and _very_ casual. Weiss, however, usually dressed in slacks and sometimes a button down shirt, normally accompanied by a blazer or cardigan.

Thirty minutes ago, Weiss had called Coco to help her decide. All of her suggestions were denied by the CEO, and Coco eventually gave up and watched Weiss pace back and forth in her closet.

"Honestly, Weiss, how _do_ you end up in these situations? It's easy to solve!" Coco reached for the black t-shirt and white jeans sitting on her bed. "Just wear these, tuck in the shirt, and put a belt on. Bam! Casual, simple, and stylish! What more could you want?"

"But it's too simple!"

The brunette groaned and shook her head in disappointment. She grabbed Weiss shoulders, halting her from her pacing. "Put the clothes on, Weiss."

"But-"

"JUST PUT THE DAMN CLOTHES ON! YOU'LL LOOK FINE JUST DO IT!" Coco shoved the articles into Weiss's arms and marched her into the bathroom.

Minutes later, Weiss came out looking quite fine, according to Coco. "See? You look great! Now you won't upstage anyone and still look hella awesome!"

"I suppose," Weiss murmured as she stared at herself in the mirror. "What about my shoes?"

"Oh my God, Weiss, why do you make everything so difficult?" The assistant rummaged through Weiss's closet and pulled out a pair of black checkered Vales (Vans). "You're wearing these and you have no choice. Now put them on and skedaddle."

"This is my apartment."

"And you're running behind, get going! Don't want to keep her waiting!"

As Weiss slipped on the shoes, Coco led her out the door and locked it for her after handing the businesswoman her purse and scroll. "Now go have a great time! Don't stay out too late!"

"Go home!" Weiss called out as she swiftly walked down the hall. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

She heard Coco say something unintelligible, completely disregarding it as she entered the elevator. Looking through her bag, she grabbed her keys and readied herself for the short sprint to her car. The door slid open, and she rushed out of the small room and through the garage to get to her vehicle. The car unlocked with the press of a button, and she threw the door open and closed it as quickly as she had entered the vehicle. It was 5:47. She could make it.

The white VMW pulled out of the parking lot and drove up to the exit of the garage, waiting for the next car to pass by before entering the road. Weiss anxiously tapped the steering wheel as she waited for an opening that seemed to take forever to come. Finally, a large gap between cars allowed her onto the road and to her first red light, which wasn't very far from her apartment building. In fact, she might as well have driven a few yards.

The businesswoman groaned as she checked the clock on the dashboard. Three minutes had gone by, and Weiss couldn't afford to lose any more of them. She quickly drove down the streets to the north side where Ruby lived, passing cars while staying within the speed limit. Not long later, Weiss saw Ruby standing outside of the building, her attention focused on her scroll. Weiss pulled up into the front and rolled down the passenger side window.

"Hey dolt, are you going to get in or what?"

With a smile, Ruby looked up from the device in hand and quickly stowed it away in the pocket of her jeans. Weiss noticed how nicely she cleaned up this evening. Ruby was wearing a crimson red button down t-shirt-half tucked into her pants, half un-tucked-black jeans, and a pair of combat boots.

"Hey Weiss!" The young woman opened passenger side door and sat down rather uncouthly.

Weiss couldn't help but notice the sparkle in Ruby's eyes. "You look really nice, Ruby."

"Awe, really? Thanks, I actually tried tonight." Ruby giggled and strapped in her seat belt.

"But you never had to try. I think you've always looked beautiful."

The blush on the red-clad girl's face was undeniable. "You're too kind. You look beautiful too!"

The CEO stared at her clothes for a moment and shrugged. "Coco chose my outfit. I wouldn't say it's beautiful..."

"Weiss, I don't think you give yourself enough credit. I bet you'd look amazing in anything."

A white eyebrow arched. "Anything?"

The brunette nodded back. "Anything."

"So if I were to wear-hmm, let's say a bright colored tracksuit, small glasses, and flip flops-"

"You'd be absolutely stunning. You could totally make it work, and then it would trend like crazy." Ruby grinned as she watched Weiss shake her head with disbelief.

"Well, I believe we have been here for far too long. We wouldn't want to miss that movie, now would we?" Weiss flicked Ruby's forehead lightly, the younger woman yelping in surprise.

"What was that for?"

"Because you're a dolt." The silverette pulled out of the parking space she was in and drove onto the road, taking the both of them to the Vale Theater. Ruby turned on the radio, tuning in to a pop station that Weiss wasn't opposed to. She giggled as she listened to Ruby sing every lyric of a couple of popular songs, singing along in her head as she focused on the road.

After a few more songs and boisterous laughs, they eventually arrived at the theater. Both girls exited the vehicle and made their way to the entrance of the large building.

"Weiss, you can go ahead and wait inside. Maybe get some snacks or something, I'll get the tickets." Ruby pulled out her wallet and proceeded towards the line. "I'll totally pay you back for the snacks."

The CEO shook her head. "There's no need for that, it's alright. Do you want a soda?"

"Yes please! Thanks, Weiss!"

Weiss entered the building and immediately hopped in line before it got too long. The businesswoman pulled out her wallet from her purse and waited for the person in front of her to finish ordering. Even though they'd be going out for dinner after the movie, Weiss didn't want Ruby to be upset by the underwhelming size of the popcorn. But she didn't want Ruby to get full on something as unhealthy as popcorn and not have a proper meal.

"I can help whoever's next in line!" The cashier cheerfully called out.

Just as Weiss stepped up to the counter, she made the decision. She placed her orders and got them almost immediately, slipping her credit card inti the chip reader. When she finished taking her card, she saw Ruby jog up to her with the tickets in hand.

"Large popcorn? You know me so well!" Ruby pecked Weiss's cheek and smiled. "Thanks, Weiss!"

"N-Not a problem, Ruby." She tried so hard to keep her composure, but the blush on her cheeks said otherwise. "Let's go now."

Ruby nodded and received the bucket of popcorn from Weiss, taking her hand in her own as they headed inside the theater. It didn't take long until they found their assigned theater, only to find it nearly packed. The two looked high and low for a couple of seats that were sat together. Weiss felt a slight pat on her arm, turning her attention to the source—which was Ruby, of course.

"We can get those two seats up there," Ruby suggested as she pointed to one of the higher rows.

Both of the girls went up the staircase and carefully entered the row, being sure not to hurt anybody else in the process. They took their seats, Ruby letting out a relaxed sigh. Weiss was acutely aware of the hand remaining on her own.

The theater lights started to dim, and people in the theater started cheering. Clearly the two had come on an opening night without realizing. Maybe Ruby did, Weiss had no idea what they were going to watch. Regardless, if all the people are cheering this loudly and enthusiastically, then it was bound to be a great movie.

Especially with Ruby by her side.

* * *

"I can't believe you finished the whole bucket and still have the space in your stomach to eat dinner."

After the movie had finished, Weiss and Ruby went to a casual diner close to Ruby's apartment. It was called Oum's, a homey and humble diner that served some of the best burgers in Vale. It also happened to be Yang's workplace.

"It's called metabolism, Weiss!" Ruby sang as she browsed the menu.

A redhead walked up to the table and looked between the two. "Are you two ready to order or do you both need some more time?"

Ruby looked up and smiled at the waitress. "Hi Pyrrha!"

The redhead giggled. "Hello, Ruby. Do you want your usual?"

"I don't know. While I do want my grilled cheese, I'm kinda craving for a good burger. Think you could hook me up?"

With a nod, the waitress smiled brightly. "Consider it done. And what about you, Miss?"

"I'll have the Mistralian strip, medium rare," Weiss replied in a formal matter.

"Of course. Now, is it okay if I ask you something?" Green eyes stared into icy blue ones, and Weiss could feel herself getting nervous for some odd reason.

"No, not at all. What is it?"

"Were you there at that one morning game? If I recall correctly, I shot Ruby first, and then you must've shot me soon afterwards. Was that you?"

Weiss nodded in reply, green eyes becoming gentler. "Ruby has told me how great you are at offense."

The redhead chuckled and shook her head. "I suppose I am, though I think I do need more practice."

"Nonsense, you are great at your game." Weiss saw the waitress reach her hand out, Weiss taking it gladly.

"Pyrrha Nikos at your service."

"Weiss Schnee. Pleasure to meet you, Pyrrha. I do hope we can play together again." Weiss sent her a kind smile as the redhead nodded back.

"I do too. Pleasure to meet you, and it's good to see you again, Ruby. Now allow me to get those orders into the kitchen and I will return soon." Pyrrha took the menus and disappeared behind the front counter.

"Later, Pyrrha!" Ruby called out with a wave.

"You two are close?" Weiss brushed a few strands of hair out of her face as she waited for Ruby's response.

"Yeah, mostly because of Yang. When she started working here, I remember visiting her almost every evening after work just to support her." The younger woman tittered as she rested her head on her hand. "Meeting her coworkers was inevitable over the period of time of visiting. I know that Pyrrha is Yang's boss, Ren is one of the cooks, and Nora is a waitress like Yang."

Weiss sighed, her smile fading slightly. "All of your friends are conveniently within your vicinity. I wish I had friends like yours."

"But my friends are your friends! You'll get to know all of them in time, I promise you. You already know Yang and Blake, and you're dating me, so I can guarantee that all of these guys will be your greatest friends!"

The businesswoman couldn't help but chuckle quietly at Ruby's bold prediction. "You're too much sometimes."

"That's not always a bad thing, is it?" The paintballer smirked and winked, receiving an eye roll in response.

Not much later, the two received their meals and tucked in. Weiss noticed Ruby glance at her every so often and smile. It went on long enough for Weiss to eventually ask.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" She wasn't annoyed in any way, just curious.

"Wha are you balking aboup?" Ruby's mouth was filled with fries and burger meat.

"Don't speak with your mouth full, Ruby."

Ruby swallowed and repeated her sentence. "What are you talking about? I'm not looking at you in any way."

"Don't lie either, Ruby. I know when you're lying. You always fiddle with your hair whenever you lie."

"No I'm don-" Ruby looked at her fingers and realized she was already twirling a few strands of red-tipped hair. "Oh...I do. Huh."

"Why were you looking at me like that?"

"I dunno, you just seemed so peaceful. You look so cute when you're focused without realizing it." The brunette smiled, and Weiss knew she would never be able to stop her heart from fluttering every time she saw that smile.

Pyrrha swung by with a pitcher of water in hand, filling up the near-empty glasses on the table. "Are you both enjoying your meals?"

Both girls nodded and smiled, continuing their dinner as the waitress continued on with her business. As their meal came to a close, Ruby decided to order a pie for dessert last minute. Weiss wasn't too fond of that, but shared the pie with Ruby anyway.

* * *

When the time came to pay, both had argued on who would pay the bill, Ruby refusing to split it and pay for the whole meal. Weiss didn't want to sap all the money out of Ruby and offered to pay, using her wealth as a reason to pay. She was turned down by Ruby, and after five whole minutes of lingering on the subject, both came to the agreement of Ruby paying.

"Besides, I asked you out, I pay for it all," Ruby said as she and Weiss walked to her car.

"I payed for the snacks," Weiss stated bluntly.

Immediately, Ruby pulled out her wallet. "I can pay you back, how much do I owe-"

Weiss gently held the paintballer's hands and shook her head. "I told you, Ruby, you don't need to pay me back for that. There's really no need."

"But it's only fair..."

"You're too sweet for your own good, Ruby." The CEO rolled her eyes and pulled her keys out of her purse. She unlocked the car, and both girls got in rather quickly.

Instead of the ride being filled with more pop songs and delightful singing, the sound of the motor running as the car drove was the only thing filling the silence. Neither one of the girls said anything as Weiss went down the quiet roads. Weiss glanced over at Ruby to see her leaning towards the window, silently watching the world go by as they kept moving forward.

Many people were walking out on the sidewalks. The sun was starting to set, and night had come. The nightlife city was awake, and Weiss smiled as she saw the civilians laughing with each other, many in groups or couples on the streets. It was the beginning of summer, the perfect time of year to be out and about the city with friends and family.

Weiss pulled into the front of Ruby's apartment building, Ruby unbuckling her seat belt as Weiss put the vehicle on park. As Ruby left the car, Weiss unbuckled her own seat belt and got out quickly. She wanted to be closer to Ruby. She wanted to know that whatever was going on between them could work. That they could be in an actual relationship. "R-Ruby!"

Ruby turned around before she reached the door. "Yes?"

"I...When can we..." Weiss struggled to gather her thoughts, and Ruby giggled and moved closer to the struggling CEO.

"You're really silly sometimes, Weiss."

Before Weiss knew what was happening, she felt a warm pair of lips press against her own. Ruby's eyes were closed, her hands finding their way to Weiss's long, alabaster locks. Weiss found herself melting into the kiss, closing her eyes while wrapping her arms around Ruby's neck. She grabbed fistfuls of dark, red-tipped hair and gasped as the kiss grew into many passionate kisses. Weiss, suddenly feeling a warm sensation between her legs, panted as Ruby pulled away with sparkling silver eyes.

Panting as well, Ruby smiled and held Weiss's hands. "Do you maybe want to...you know...should we go inside?"

Weiss locked her car and let Ruby swiftly lead her into the building, knowing that things between them would never be the same after tonight.

* * *

**Oooooooooh, y'all know what this means! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

Waking up this morning felt different than usual. It smelled different than usual. With groggy eyes, Weiss saw that this was not her bedroom. The bed sheets were grey, unlike her usual white ones. This bed was also significantly smaller than her own.

Weiss looked down and noticed that she was as naked as the day she was born.

"Oh yeah..." Weiss smiled as she breathed in the pillow beneath her head. She yawned as she sat up, the cool air bringing goosebumps to her pale skin.

A number of questions came to mind as she surveyed the large bedroom. One of them being: where was Ruby?

As she searched to find her clothes, she smelled something pleasant cooking nearby. She found her black t-shirt on the floor and decided that it was good enough to cover most of her bits, so she left the bedroom and immediately saw Ruby cooking in the kitchenette.

Ruby's apartment was very large and really classy. Being a loft apartment, the ceilings were pretty high, allowing the sunlight to fill the whole room. It had the warm, rustic feel, similar to a coffee shop. There was only one bedroom and a large main room, in which had a huge window that was practically the wall. The view was beautiful, a great view of the city with the sunrise.

Quietly, Weiss walked up to Ruby and wrapped her arms around the taller woman, resting her head on Ruby's shoulder as she cooked. She heard Ruby titter, knowing that she was smiling just as happily as she was.

"Good morning, Princess. Sleep well?"

Weiss nodded into Ruby's shoulder. She moaned quietly, breathing in Ruby's scent.

"Sorry I didn't wake up with you. You looked so cute sleeping, and I really wanted to see you wake up, but I also wanted to cook you breakfast." Ruby shrugged gently, aware of the head resting on her shoulder. "The original plan was to bring breakfast to you in bed, but this is good too."

"You're far too kind, Ruby." Weiss moved a few locks of Ruby's red-tipped hair and placed a few kisses on her nape. "How have I never met anyone like you?"

"Probably cuz I'm the one and only Ruby Rose." The paintballer chuckled quietly.

A few silent moments went by, the sound of bacon sizzling and eggs frying being the only sounds heard in the apartment.

Ruby turned her head slightly, hoping to meet Weiss's gaze. "What do you want to do today? I've got no work today, and-"

"SHIT I HAVE WORK!" Weiss immediately jumped and scrambled about the apartment, searching desperately for her scroll. She stopped when Ruby held her tightly, spatula still in hand.

"Coco called earlier. She said today was your day off. Said something about you not hearing her when you kicked her out of your apartment last night."

It all clicked in her mind. That's what Coco said last night. How could Weiss let that slip her mind? She had completely forgotten about her schedules, only knowing that she worked every day from seven in the morning to six in the evening.

"Take it easy now. Go ahead and sit down, breakfast is almost ready." Ruby went back to the stove and continued cooking as Weiss took her seat at dinning table a little ways away from the kitchenette.

The overall design of the apartment was quiet appealing, which Weiss couldn't get out of her head. The kitchenette rose from the ground by one step, level with the entrance of the apartment.

"Ruby, have you ever stubbed your toe on all of these steps?"

Ruby chuckled. "More times than you could count. But I love this apartment and wouldn't trade it for anything. Good price, great location, and amazing space. Seriously, the open floor plan was probably the best decision I've made when it came to apartment hunting. Zwei loves it too."

At the mention of his name, the little corgi came running from the bedroom, his nails clicking on the hardwood floor with each step. He sat at Weiss's feet, and the sleepy businesswoman was immediately obliged to pick him up and love the devil out of him. "Aw, who is just da cutest? You are! Yes, you are!" Weiss's baby voice brought Ruby to laughter.

"Ooh, I know what we should do! We should go on a walk with Zwei!" Ruby joined Weiss at the table with a couple of plates filled with eggs, bacon, and a croissant on each. "Do you want butter with your croissant?"

Weiss shook her head. "No thank you."

"Gotcha, anything in your coffee?"

Again, Weiss said no. As the two began eating, Ruby started patting her hair, and a white brow arched in question. "What're you doing that for?"

"You didn't pull out my hair last night, did you?" The brunette chuckled. "I knew you would be ferocious based off of your performance on the battlefield, but jeez! Didn't know you could be like _that_."

Weiss blushed and looked away, nibbling on her food quietly. "Y-You made me that way."

"Wow, I did?" Ruby sighed and smiled. "What was I gonna talk about next...oh! Yang's throwing a party for Blake's birthday later tonight. It's gonna be by the docks at the steakhouse. Yang said she needed our help to set some things up. Apparently she rented out the dance floor and needs help setting up sound equipment and stuff. Honestly, I didn't even know there was a dance floor."

"Can Yang play any instrument?"

"Yeah, she's actually pretty good. When I was younger, she'd play her guitar and sing a lullaby she wrote for me. She called it "Gold" and it was my favorite song."

The sentiment made Weiss smile. "How sweet. My sister-"

"You have a sister?!"

"Yes, Winter Schnee. When I was younger, we used to be very close."

Ruby sat up in her chair, her posture straightening. "Used to be? What happened?"

"My mother remarried. Winter wasn't very happy about that."

"Oh," Ruby said sadly, "I'm sorry about that."

Weiss shook her head. "No, don't be. We're on better terms now, but she's busy in Atlas. I wish we could visit more often, but we're both trying to keep this company from falling apart."

"What does Winter do? If you're the CEO, what's her position?"

"She's the vice president. Her office is in Atlas, so we usually only see each other during meetings." Weiss took a sip of her coffee and continued on her eggs. "She used to serve in the military. I remember she would tell me stories about how she would argue with a drunkard named Qrow Branwen."

"Qrow Branwen? He's my uncle!"

This made Weiss nearly choke on her food. "Qrow Branwen runs Rose Markers?!"

Ruby started laughing, Weiss unsure as to why she was. "Oh my goodness, your face!"

"You dolt, I nearly choked because of you!"

The laughter settled down, and Ruby nodded in response to Weiss's question from earlier. "Yeah, my uncle owns that place. He told me about when he served. And yeah, he may not be the most ideal person to be running a shop of any sorts or be a marksman with all that alcohol, but he managed to beat everybody's expectations. I never miss a shot because of him. He taught me everything I know with how to handle a gun, how to aim properly, shooting techniques, all of that jazz."

The two finished up their breakfast together and prepared for the day. As Weiss gathered up the rest of her clothes strewn about the floor and bed, she realized she had nothing else to change into. "Ruby, I have no other clothes."

"Oh, that's fine. I've got some clothes you can wear." Ruby went to her closet and slid the doors open, pulling out a few articles for Weiss to choose from. "You want pants?"

"Pants would be very much preferable," Weiss deadpanned.

"Hmm, I dunno," Ruby winked, "I'd say otherwise."

The paintballer received a glare for that remark.

"Sorry, just kidding. Here," she said as she tossed a pair of black cargo pants to the CEO standing beside her. She also pulled out a couple of shirts, a red graphic t-shirt for Weiss, and a plain white t-shirt for herself. Ruby pulled the tank top she was wearing off of her body, unveiling the chiseled abdomen and slim body she possessed. Her body was beautiful, and she realized she hadn't had much of a good look last night. All of last night was mainly a blur of ecstasy.

Weiss couldn't tear her eyes away from Ruby no matter how hard she tried. Ruby noticing was inevitable, and she smirked as soon as she caught on.

"Awe, miss all of this already?" The brunette chortled as she slipped on her shirt. "Don't worry, I'll promise that you'll get to see all of it again soon."

She received a pillow in the face this time. Weiss then flicked her forehead, the younger woman yelping. "You're sounding like Yang. I am _not_ dating your sister, I am dating you."

"Alright, alright, sorry, Princess." Ruby held Weiss's cheek and gently kissed her lips. "Forgive me?"

The business woman sighed and removed the black t-shirt, clipping on her bra quickly afterwards. "I suppose I have no choice. You are my girlfriend after all."

Ruby's silver eyes brightened, shining as brightly as the stars in a clear night sky. "Yay! She forgives me!"

"Oh my goodness, get changed! And DON'T you think about taking off all of your clothes right now, we need to get on with the day," Weiss huffed as she swiftly moved about the room, slipping the loaned clothes on and folding her own clothes in the process. She went into the bathroom to wash her face and do her hair, Ruby joining her a few minutes later to do the same.

Once the both of them finished, Ruby put Zwei on his leash, and the three of them were off. Ruby locked the door of her apartment and led Weiss and Zwei to the elevator. As the elevator made its way down the shaft, Ruby stared at the keys in hand, Weiss noticing Ruby's source of attention.

"Is there something wrong with your keys?" Weiss mused aloud.

"Huh?" Ruby suddenly looked up, her silver eyes meeting Weiss's icy ones. "Oh, no, nothing's wrong. I just thought that we should get the apartment keys copied so that you have your own. You know, just in case you want to come back for more of me."

Weiss rolled her eyes and flicked her dolt's forehead. "At first I was thinking you were actually being sweet, you pervert."

Ruby only giggled and stuck her tongue out. "But you like me. I know you do. Because I like you."

"That depends." Weiss smirked and crossed her arms. "You best consider yourself lucky that I like you back and take interest in dating you."

The younger woman chuckled and leaned against the railing on the elevator wall. "What a confession this was. I thought our confessions would be dramatic and kinda awkward. With you, I don't feel awkward though. I just feel...like me, I guess. Like not in a bad way, I just feel like I've known you forever, and I guess confessing just came easy." Ruby continued rambling on about dramatic romance movies and corny romcoms, and Weiss decided that Ruby needed to cease. They were on the bottom floor now.

"Ruby, we need to get going. And yes, I agree. Our confessions were rather unconventional, but at least it was terse."

"Short and to the point. I know how you roll, Weiss Schnee." The paintballer clicked her tongue and winked at her girlfriend, receiving an eye roll and a kind smile.

As Ruby pulled out her car keys, Zwei barked rather impatiently and started scratching the passenger side door. Ruby glared at the little dog and crossed her arms. "What's gotten into you? You know that's not how we get into the car. So until you start to shape up and act like an adult dog, I will not let you get in."

The dog whined and sat down on his bottom, seeming to glare back at Ruby despite having a singular facial expression. He barked again, and Ruby refused. Weiss giggled as she watched the two have a glare-off. Eventually, Zwei dropped his glare and started wagging his tail, and Ruby nodded with approval. "There. You can get in now, Zwei." Ruby unlocked the car and opened up the passenger door, Zwei hopping in before Weiss did. The dog sat in the back, knowing Weiss would sit where he usually would.

"I'm impressed, Ruby. You could be a dog trainer," Weiss joked, buckling in her seat belt.

"Nah, only Zwei acts the way he does. He literally thinks he's a human," Ruby responded as she buckled her seat belt in as well, starting the car's engine.

Zwei made a bark of protest.

"Not that that's a bad thing!" she quickly defended, raising her arms in a gesture of surrender. "You're just smarter than the other dogs. But sometimes you're a huge smartass."

The dog huffed and sat down as Ruby pulled out of her parking spot, joining the flow of traffic on the street. She turned on the radio, the same pop station coming on once again as she rolled down the windows. Zwei stuck his head out of the window, Ruby sang along to the songs played, and Weiss couldn't help but let out an amiable and contented sigh.

"We'll run riot~ We'll be glowing in the dark, ooh ooh ooh~" As Ruby sang, Weiss had to admit that she had a pretty good voice.

No, that was an understatement, Ruby had a beautiful voice. She sounded confident, her timbre was unique, and her pitch was on point. Weiss wondered if Ruby had done anything to hone her vocal skills.

"Ruby," Weiss spoke as a commercial came on.

"Hmm? What's up?"

"Do you sing at all? Professionally?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. I was in choir for like a year in junior high, and I sang with Yang a lot, but I didn't really do anything else."

Weiss made a noise of slight surprise. "Your voice is beautiful, I'm surprised you haven't done something with it. You could make it into the music industry with that voice."

"Yeah, I guess. I've been told that a lot, but paintball will always be my life. Crescent Rose is my pride and joy, beside you of course." Ruby chuckled as she made a turn, continuing down the road. "Can you sing, Weiss?"

The CEO hesitated to answer. She did sing before, but she wasn't as confident as Ruby was. She couldn't hum at work, she couldn't scat quietly in her office, she couldn't give anyone the idea that she could sing. It was far too embarrassing and out of her comfort zone, and-

"Hey, even if you don't sing, it's always okay to sing in here. The music's blaring, so most of the time other people won't hear you." She seemed quite insistent in hearing Weiss sing. "And I won't judge. I never would, never will."

The commercial ended, and the next song just so happened to be one that Weiss knew. She watched as Ruby bopped her head up and down to the beat, and soon enough, the intro ended. Maybe Weiss should sing. Ruby wouldn't judge, and she hadn't remembered the last time she let it out.

"Do you hear me? I'm talking to you across the water, across the deep blue ocean~" Weiss started gaining more confidence the more she sang, and as soon as her eyes met Ruby's, the younger woman was grinning with excitement as she bounced in her seat.

"Oh my God, you can sing! You sound so beautiful!" Ruby pointed to herself and mouthed a few words as the next verse came. "Boy I hear you in my dreams, I feel your whisper across the sea, I keep you with me in my heart; you make it easier when life gets hard~"

"I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend, lucky to have been where I have been~" The two sang the chorus, Weiss harmonizing with Ruby beautifully. They smiled and glanced at each other, singing together as if they'd known each other their whole lives. Ruby laughed between verses and choruses, not at Weiss or herself, but because of how happy she was.

Weiss found herself laughing with her.

Over the next few songs of singing and chuckling like children, Ruby drove into a small parking lot for a well-known trail in Vale. She parked the car and helped both her girlfriend and dog out of the vehicle.

The two entered the trail with hand in hand, dog leash in Ruby's other. Their steps were in sync, though the occasional rock would trip Ruby up and screw up their uniformity. Weiss giggled every time, and Ruby would blame Zwei for kicking the rock in her direction.

Above them, the trees towered like the buildings in the city. The sun's rays peaked through every crack between the branches and leaves. Weiss breathed in the fresh air and let out a long, relaxed breath.

"Really calming, isn't it?" Ruby's quiet voice almost went unnoticed by Weiss.

"It truly is," Weiss replied, matching Ruby's gentle tone.

"It's really nice to go from something as fast-paced as paintball to something so slow and relaxing like this nature walk." Weiss felt Ruby's thumb rubbing small circles in her hand. "I'm glad I get to share that with you."

Weiss nodded back and smiled, squeezing Ruby's hand gently. "As am I, Ruby."

Ruby hummed happily as they continued down the path. "So Yang wants us to wear formal clothes tonight for Blake's party. She said it's a surprise party, and I'm pretty excited for it. I bought a new tie recently and've been waiting for the right time to use it."

"Do you wear dresses at all?" Weiss queried, swatting away a couple of flies lingering around her head. "These damn flies, I swear..."

The paintballer giggled as she helped Weiss shoo them away. "Nah, dresses aren't really my thing. I mean, I _could_ wear a dress, but I choose not to since suits just look and feel better. Plus, I think I look pretty killer in ties."

"I'll bet," Weiss tittered.

"Oh, I bet when you see me tonight, your panties will drop instantly."

A white brow arched in question. "Is that a challenge?"

Ruby stopped and grinned. "How about this: if you can keep your hands off of me for the whole party, you can have your way with me tonight. If you fail, I get to be your master."

"Your offer is intriguing, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I have work tomorrow, and I'm sure you do as well."

"W-Well yeah, but..." The younger woman started whimpering and mumbling, her confident resolve fading quickly.

Weiss smiled and shook her head, cupping Ruby's cheek and kissing her lips sweetly. Though only lasting a few seconds, she still managed to blush redder than Ruby's red tips. "Don't worry. Besides, I would've won the bet anyway."

"Wh-Wha?"

"Ruby Rose, you underestimate how well I can resist my urges and desires." Weiss smirked and continued walking down the trail, dragging Ruby along with her. "I would've loved to see you on all fours."

"You're such a tease."

"You're one to talk, Ruby."

Ruby shut her mouth and pouted, Weiss chuckling away at her partner's behavior. Zwei barked at Ruby and started walking between her legs.

"What do you want, boy?" Ruby squatted down and took the little dog out from between her legs, picking up the dog and staring him dead in the pupils. "Is something gonna happen?"

The dog barked again and looked up at the sky, Ruby and Weiss looking up to find the source of his attention. As they cocked their heads backwards, they noticed the clouds darkening above them. The sun was fading behind dark gray, and soon enough, droplets of water started falling rather quickly.

"Awe man, right now?" Ruby groaned and set her dog back down. "Should've brought a jacket or something. Guess we gotta book it."

With a change of position in grip, Ruby released Zwei's leash and started leading Weiss down the way they came. "Zwei, run to the car! Let's go before we get drenched, Weiss!"

Part of Ruby regretted going so deep into the forest, but she knew that Weiss needed something to help her relax. As the two sprinted, rain came pouring down more rapidly, eventually turning into a very heavy rainfall. Zwei was already far ahead, and Weiss was struggling to keep up with Ruby.

"We're almost there!" Ruby's shout was nearly drowned out by the downpour.

The red car was in sight, the trees cleared up as they neared the parking lot, and Zwei was already waiting at the door. Ruby quickly grabbed her keys and rushed to the passenger side, unlocking the door for Zwei and shutting it quickly afterwards. Weiss nearly slammed into the car, unable to stop herself from her sprint. She nearly fell until Ruby caught her, and they both stood in silence as the rain came down harder.

Both of them were completely drenched, their clothes soaked till their undergarments' outlines were visible. Weiss started giggling, and Ruby started chuckling with her. They continued to build up until they were laughing louder than the rain.

Then, in a rapid motion, Weiss found herself pinned against the small red car. Ruby brought her hand up to Weiss's alabaster locks and ran her fingers through each strand. They closed their eyes and leaned their faces closer to the point of contact. Lips met lips in a battle for dominance, Ruby assertively taking the upper hand. But Weiss would not lose this battle; no, she would kiss Ruby until the younger woman became numb. Numb to the world, numb to all the cruelty and abominations that lurk throughout, numb to—

And then a knee drove itself between her legs, and suddenly she was no longer in the lead. Weiss moaned loudly, though nothing was heard as all noises were no match for the booming thunder above.

As much as Weiss didn't want to pull away or give up this battle, she knew that a moment such as this would have to end eventually. And because they had a party to attend tonight, she knew that they would need to be dry and dressed in order to do so.

Weiss slowly pulled away, looking up at Ruby who was panting with a smile. She wanted to pull the woman down closer and kiss her full force once more, but she needed to prove that she had restraint.

But Ruby had the audacity to peck at her lips one more time before licking her own lips. "Your lips taste sweet."

"Yours as well. Now please allow me to get inside the car before I catch a cold."

Ruby tittered and opened the door. "Of course, my Princess."

Upon sitting down, the leather seats started becoming pools of water beneath their bottoms. Ruby and Weiss looked at each other, smiling like the dorky women they truly were.

Zwei's bark startled both of them, and Ruby turned on the engine in compliance to his complaint.

"So what's the plan?" Ruby asked as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"You take me back to your apartment—not for the reason we both want—and I grab my stuff, get my car, and go back to my place to get ready."

"Alright. By the way, you can keep the clothes you have. I barely wear those ones anyway, and I've got plenty more of the same pants."

"Thank you," Weiss murmured. "Ruby, why are you dating me? I don't mean to be rude or anything, but there have been others where it just didn't...work out."

"Why am I dating you? That's an easy question." Ruby glanced at Weiss with a genuine smile. "For starters, you're drop-dead beautiful, you're insanely talented, you're kind and loving despite keeping this sexy and seductive cool facade, I could go on and on."

"But are there...other intentions?"

"Other intentions? Weiss, who the heck have you been dating before? I will personally go to their house and kick them where it really matters." The younger woman took the CEO's hand in her own. "You're so much more than your wealth or power, and honestly? I could care less about that. You're a really awesome person, Weiss, and I really admire you."

It put her at ease when Ruby stopped in the middle of the (empty) road just to tell her all of that. Weiss was glad that someone saw her for who she was rather than what she was known for.

"Th-Thank you, Ruby. It means a lot to me that you see me in that way."

Ruby tittered and leaned in close to give Weiss a quick, chaste kiss to the lips. "Not a problem at all."

The ride back was quiet with the engine and Ruby's hums filling the silence. Weiss stared out the window and watched as the occasional car would pass by, glancing at Ruby every so often for no other reason other than she really liked Ruby's face. It was very kissable and punchable at the same time. If that was possible.

When the two got back, Weiss kissed Ruby's cheek before getting into her car. Ruby stood at her window, her arms resting on the sill. "You want me to come by and pick you up? The steakhouse is conveniently on the west side, and I don't think I've seen your apartment yet."

"That sounds fine, Ruby."

"Right then. I'll see you later?" Ruby brushed a couple strands of hair out of her face before a few more replaced them.

Weiss giggled at her failed attempt to remove those strands. "You most definitely will, dolt."

Ruby leaned in and kissed Weiss for a good, solid minute before letting the CEO be. "See you later, Princess."

The businesswoman started the ignition and turned the VMW on, pulling out of her spot as she waved back at the young woman waving at her. She saw Ruby blow a kiss and rolled her eyes with a smile. Despite giving and receiving a few kisses in such a short amount of time, Weiss still felt the urge to give more. She would never get tired of them.

Leaving the building behind, Weiss drove off and made her way to the west side of the city. She tried to think about what to wear tonight. Ruby was wearing a suit, so to complement her, perhaps she could wear a cocktail dress. She had plenty of those in her closet, none of which she had used since her business parties. The building hadn't had a business party in a couple of years.

As soon as she reached the garage, she contacted Coco for help.

_"Hey Weiss, have fun on your day off that you DEFINITELY forgot?"_

"I did. I have a favor to ask of you again."

_"Oh no, don't tell me your WiFi 'broke' again. Just reboot your router-"_

"No, that's not it." Weiss stepped out of her car and locked it, walking into the elevator of the apartment building. "I'm going to a fancy party, Ruby's wearing a suit, and I'm trying to decide which dress to wear."

Coco groaned on the other side of the line, and Weiss rolled her eyes. _"I am not coming over. Ask her what colors she'll be wearing, then wear white."_

"Then what's the point of asking what she'll be wearing?"

_"Wear accessories according to those colors. Simple as that. Now just let me go home."_

The elevator doors opened, and Weiss huffed as she left the elevator behind. "Go home. I'll see you tomorrow."

_"Okaaaaaaaaay! Byeeeeeeeee~"_

Weiss hung up quickly, not wanting to hear Coco pass out after she finished that one word. After unlocking the door to her apartment, Weiss went straight for the shower. It didn't take her long to finish and dry herself up. With her hair wrapped up in her towel, she went to her closet and searched for her white cocktail dress.

"God, why can't I find that dress?!" she groaned as she struggled to search for the dress.

Eight minutes went by before she found the dress hidden in her extensive closet. She was frustrated and nearly screamed once she found it, but what's done is done, and now was the time to call Ruby about the colors. She grabbed her scroll from her bedside table and dialed Ruby's number.

Only a single ring went by before Ruby's sweet voice came through from the other line. _"What's up, Weiss?"_

"I was calling to ask what colors you were going to wear tonight."

_"Black suit, white shirt, black tie. Pretty simple."_

Well that was going to help. Maybe she could still wear red earrings or something to match Ruby's hair. "Thank you, Ruby. That was very helpful."

_"You're welcome! Oh, I'm also gonna need your address."_

"Right. West side on Junior Street and Melody Avenue. It's a big marble building on the corner, you can't miss it. I'm in apartment 347."

_"Okay! See you in a few!"_

The call ended, and Weiss began the process of drying her hair. It usually took quite a bit considering how long and thick her hair was, but she always managed somehow. As she dried her hair, she sang along to some of her favorite songs on her scroll.

With her hair dry, she applied her makeup and straightened her hair for the night. Red ruby earrings were hung from her earlobes, and she even put on a ruby necklace to tie the whole look together.

As she tidied herself up, the doorbell rang and a knock of three came through the door. She swiftly made her way to the door and looked through the peephole to see Ruby standing there, doing her best to fix her hair in a half up, half down style. She brushed her bangs out of her face, succeeding this time, and awaited behind the door.

Weiss unlocked the door and opened it up, immediately stuck on how incredible Ruby dressed. The suit hugged her figure nicely, and hairdo brought it all together. To use Yang's words, she looked _hot_.

Ruby wasn't doing any better in the matter of gawking. She stood there, completely dumbfounded at the sight of Weiss. The white dress brought out the curves on her slim body, and it sparkled. God, did it sparkle.

"H-Hey Weiss," Ruby stuttered. "You look really nice. Like, really _really_ nice."

"Thank you, Ruby. You clean up quite nicely." Weiss nodded back. "You can come in, I just need to get a couple of things."

The stuttering brunette entered the apartment and noticed how clean it was. The whole place was clean enough to look like a five-star hotel. Not that she had ever been in one, she couldn't afford it, but this apartment could definitely fool her. "So W-Weiss, did you get Blake a gift?"

"I haven't. You told me about the party just this morning, and I was out with you all day. What makes you think I had the time to get a gift?" Weiss didn't mean to come across as rude, but it might have sounded that way to Ruby. She quickly came out of her room with her handbag. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to be sarcastic or anything."

"No, you're fine. It was kind of a dumb question, I should've known already." Ruby straightened up her coat and tie, holding out her arm for Weiss. "I guess we can go shopping real quick before we help Yang?"

The CEO intertwined her arm with Ruby's and allowed the younger woman to lead her out of the apartment. "That'd be great; thank you, Ruby."

"No prob. By the way, your apartment is super beautiful. It looks like a really clean, five-star hotel room!" The suited woman chuckled as Weiss locked her apartment door. "Like seriously, my apartment is nothing like yours."

"Yes, but that's not a bad thing. You have a large loft with a wonderful view of the city. Your bedroom is far bigger than mine, and your whole apartment's theme screams 'rustic coffee shop.'"

"So then I guess we both have pretty awesome homes."

"I suppose we do."

With the very little time they had, Ruby drove to the shopping district downtown and parked in front of a certain liquor store that Weiss pointed out. Weiss quickly left the car to get their most expensive wine and ruched back to the car.

"That was quick. What'd ya get?"

"The _Lafite-Rothschild Bordeaux Blend_."

"The_ wha whe rof bo whow wha_?"

Weiss giggled at Ruby's failed attempt to pronounce the wine name. "It's an expensive wine that tastes really good. Let's say that."

"Okay! Let's get this show on the road!"

It took at least seven songs on Ruby's favorite station for them to reach the steakhouse. A good amount of cars were there, most likely staff, and Yang's yellow car was parked right out front. Ruby parked next to the yellow vehicle and helped Weiss out of the red car, taking her present out from the back quickly afterwards.

As soon as they went inside, the place was already fully decorated for the occasion. There were balloon arches, string lights streaming from here to there, streamers wrapped around those string lights, and a lot of concert-like spotlights. When they reached the dance floor, they saw Yang in a white dress lifting up massive amplifiers with the help of Sun and Pyrrha. Once they set it down, Ruby said the first greeting.

"Yang!"

Yang whipped her head around and smirked, walking right over to her sister and Weiss. "Hey there, you two. You're both looking smokin' hot tonight. You know, I bet last night was pretty _hot_ too, if you know what I mean."

The two blushed, neither of them able to look Yang or each other in the eye. Ruby's voice cracked as she tried to speak. "Y-You knew?"

"Yup. It's Saturday, and you always visit the diner on Saturday mornings. When you didn't come this morning, I drove by your apartment and guess what I saw."

Weiss sighed, "My car."

The blonde nodded, her smirk only widening. "Hope you two had fun. I'm assuming you both are official now? I mean, you've known each other for about almost a month now."

"Yeah," Ruby held Weiss's hand tightly, but not enough to hurt her. "Weiss is my girlfriend now."

"You best take care of each other. Anyway, Ruby, can you set up my guitar? And Weiss, how does it look? You're usually the expert in, like, everything, so..."

As Ruby went off to get Yang's guitar, Weiss looked around the place. The string lights looked great the way they were, there were balloon columns at every corner of the room and between each large glass pane, and the amps were set up with perfect symmetry and alignment with the dance floor itself. The stage lights were strategically placed with each balloon column, emitting a light purple hue.

"The place looks great, Yang. Well done, though there is one thing..." Weiss brought her hand to her chin in thought. "It wouldn't kill you to add some doilies."

"Weiss, I'm not doing doilies. This is Blake's birthday party, not a pioneer wedding."

"But they're elegant and sophisticated-"

Yang quickly brought a finger to Weiss's lips. "Those words are already too big and complicated for me. I'm just gonna say it looks great. Thanks, Weiss."

"Sure."

"Hey Weiss?"

Weiss hummed and met Yang's lilac eyes. "Yes?"

"Take care of her for me, alright? I trust that you can," Yang patted Weiss's back and smiled kindly.

"I will, Yang."

"Thanks." The blonde perked up and called out to her sister. "Rubes! You're supposed to plug in the wireless one! The cord goes from the amp to the soundboard!"

"You're asking someone to set up something she has no clue about!"

"Whatever, just hurry up! Blake and everyone else will be here in about fifteen minutes!"

"Alright, alright, alright! Quit nagging!" Ruby grunted as she set the guitar down on its stand. She met back up with Weiss not a moment later, the older woman rolling her eyes at the younger one's smile. "Wanna dance with me later?"

"I don't see why not," Weiss said in a low voice. "How else will I show others that you're mine?"

"Don't get jealous before the party even starts, Weiss," Ruby shot back, matching Weiss's tone. "You don't know who else might be coming."

"I don't need to. I just know that at least one of them could be hunting for you."

"Ooh, that sounds real scary." The younger woman waved her hands around as she spoke. "Good thing I have a super scary girlfriend to intimidate them."

Almost immediately did Weiss pinch Ruby's cheeks with a grimace. "What was that? Could you repeat yourself? I think I misheard you."

"_I shaid youw shuper shca-_"

The pinching only tightened, and Ruby whined even more. "_I-I mean youw shuper pweddy and sheckshy (_sexy_) and amazhing!_"

Weiss released Ruby's cheeks and crossed her arms. "Thank you, Ruby."

By the time the party started, the whole room was decked out in gold and purple balloons, lights, streamers, and whatever else was usually used to decorate a party. Weiss and Ruby had done their best to help Yang in getting everything as perfect as she needed. As Yang stood at the entrance with Weiss and Ruby, she looked around with a proud smile on her face.

"Someone's in a good mood," Ruby spoke.

"How could I not be? It's my girlfriend's twenty-fourth birthday!" Yang let out a breath of relief. "Pretty proud of how this place turned out. Thanks for helping me."

"It's not a problem." The businesswoman shook her head with a slight smile on her lips. "Really, Ruby dragged me into this. Not that I wouldn't have helped in the first place, only if I was notified."

Yang waved her hands around and shrugged. "No, yeah, I get it. Totally get it."

The more people started arriving, the more Weiss questioned where Blake was. Ruby seemed a little worried too, Yang being the exact opposite.

Ruby nudged her sister beside her. "Yang, when's Blake supposed to arrive?"

"Didn't I tell you? Surprise party, derr."

"I forgot, okay? It just seemed like it's a little late and I wasn't sure if she was gonna show—ow!"

"She's here, ya doink! Shut up and let's greet her!" Yang barked as she dragged her sister by the ear, Weiss following behind with her arms crossed.

Just outside the front doors was Blake in a beautiful purple dress, a black bow sitting atop her head. "Hey Yang."

"I see you went with your prom dress tonight. Sexy as ever," Yang spoke in a low growl, nearly blazing through all the bases in the matter of seconds. "Just you wait until you get your presents~"

"Yang," Ruby cringed, "Me and Weiss are right here."

"Weiss and _I_, Ruby." Weiss crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "And please save it for the bedroom."

"Yang, c'mon now. You went with the prom dress too, I see." The two were separated by Ruby, who gave Blake a kind hug in turn. "Good to see you, Ruby. You look great in that suit."

Ruby grinned in response and nodded as a sign of thanks. Blake turned to Weiss, both of them going in for a small hug. "Beautiful as always, Weiss. Did you dress Ruby? She looks fancier than what she usually does."

"Oh, no, Ruby managed to do that on her own. And this isn't about me, this is your day." Weiss released the raven-haired girl and stood with her girlfriend and Yang.

"Blakey, c'mon! Quickly now, you're gonna love this!" Yang excitedly pulled her girlfriend into the steakhouse, resorting to carrying her in a bridal manner.

As soon as Yang arrived at the dance floor, the lights flashed on and everybody exclaimed the same three words. "Happy birthday, Blake!"

Yang set the brunette down and gave her a tight side hug. "All for you, Blakey!"

Blake was nearly in tears, covering the majority of her face with her hands. People crowded her in a giant hug, Ruby and Weiss standing off to the side. Seeing a spectacle such as this was somewhat emotional for Weiss, making her a tad envious. She couldn't remember the last time she had a huge party like this to celebrate her date of birth. The most she remembered was receiving a small cake from Coco and a bouquet from Velvet.

Music started to blare in the large room, and all of those who were in the hug were now breaking off to dance. Yang and Blake were dancing away in the center of the floor, and as promised, Ruby offered Weiss to dance. That being said, many others attempted to offer Weiss a dance before Ruby could, but the businesswoman promptly rejected all of them.

The two danced for the fun of it. No specific steps, not too many fancy twirls or special moves, just moving along to the rhythm of the songs. There wasn't a single moment where neither of them were smiling, and the same could be said for everybody else in the room.

Except for those who got turned down by Weiss.

All in all, the party was a success, Yang played a song for Blake that brought her to tears again, people got drunk, Blake said she had the best birthday ever, and Ruby spent the rest of the evening with Weiss on a hill not too far from the steakhouse. They watched the sun go down and stars appear in the dark night sky.

"Hey, Ruby?" Weiss murmured, not wanting to disturb the silence too much.

"Yeah?" Ruby turned her head ever so slightly to meet Weiss's gaze.

"Do you want to stay overnight at my place? We could watch a movie and...hang out, I suppose." She wrapped her arms around her knees and waited for Ruby's response.

"That sounds fun! Does this mean I won the bet?"

Weiss flicked the dolt's forehead and giggled. "I told you we can't, we both have work tomorrow. And if anything, I won the bet. We only danced tonight, that's nothing compared to what Yang and Blake did."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. They could've at least gone to the bathroom or something if they wanted to pull something like that."

"Definitely. Seriously, humping on the dance floor? I think I need to bleach my eyes."

Ruby chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Well, Yang got drunk. Trust me, that's not even the _worst_ she's done."

"I won't bother ask and take your word for it. Anyway, shall we get going? It's getting cold out." Weiss shivered and started rubbing her arms to warm up.

"Sure. What movie should we watch?"

"I'll let you pick."

"Alright. Let's go get some popcorn."

And to the small red car they went, hand in hand with smiles as bright as the stars that shined. Weiss hadn't realized how well her life had started to shape up since she met Ruby. Hopefully one day she could gather the courage to tell her everything.

But until then, she enjoyed life as it was right now. Because tonight's movie that Ruby picked was _Frozen_.

* * *

**Wowie this one took a little longer to write. But I hope you all enjoyed it!**


	5. Chapter 5

Ruby's morning was pretty simple. Get up at seven, text Weiss a good morning, go running with Zwei and Sun, and then shower. She would then either make herself breakfast or go to the diner and then get ready for work. Today was no different.

As she did every day she went to work, she blasted the same pop station and sang proudly without a single care in the world. Down the road, she saw a new deli in what used to be a lousy pizzeria.

"Maybe I could get Weiss some lunch and eat at her office," Ruby mumbled as she drove by. "Blake said they were pretty good."

The paintball shop came into view, and Ruby parked her car where she always did—the second spot to the left of the entrance. No specific reason as to why, but this had become her favorite spot over the few years she had been working there, and everyone she worked with knew this.

Occasionally upon entering, Sun attempt to scare the young woman with a jump-scare and a loud shout, which usually resulted in a scolding from the store's owner, Qrow Branwen. Sun has never been able to scare her, adding to his humiliation of defeat.

Ruby pushed the door open, the little bell ringing up above her. "Morning y'guys."

"Hey Ruby, good morning," Jaune greeted. "Did you hear about the latest APC? I heard that the PBU Industries came out with a new line of markers and are showcasing them exclusively at the convention!"

"Yeah, I know! I really want to go, but plane tickets to Argus are really expensive, not to mention hotels and the convention tickets themselves." Ruby moved behind her counter and sighed, resting her chin on her palm. "I should save up to go sometime. Then I'd have to save up for both me and Weiss."

"Rubbles, why dontcha just ask her to buy it all? She's pretty loaded, right?"

"Sun, I can't do that to her. I don't want to be like the others that she's dated before. I don't need her money like they did." The young woman stood up straight and looked Sun dead in the eyes. "I want to show her I'm different. She deserves only the best partner, and I will try my damn hardest to fill that role."

"Woah, okay, I get it." Sun put up his hands in defense. "No need to get all noble and heroic about it."

"What's going on out here?" A tall, raven-haired geezer came out of the back room with a flask in hand. "I'm hearing weird acronyms, something about tickets, and Ruby trying to be heroic. Anyone care to explain?"

"Good morning, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby jogged up to the taller man and squeezed him tightly.

The man with unkempt hair ruffled his niece's much tidier head of onyx and red. "Hey kiddo, care to tell me what's going on?"

"The APC stands for the Argus Paintball Convention, PBU stands for Paintball Unlimited (it's a really good marker company, I'm surprised you didn't know that), and I've been wanting to go for a while." The young woman sighed and shuffled back to her counter. "Sun said to ask Weiss to pay for it all, but I can't do that. Honestly Sun, were you raised in a dump? No manners whatsoever?"

"No, actually, I was born in Menagerie and raised in Mistral." Sun sat up on his counter and crossed his legs. "Look, you're making me feel bad. I could just buy you two the tickets if it makes me feel better."

"No, that's okay—wait, if it makes _you_ feel bet—"

The scream of Jaune interrupted Ruby mid thought, and everyone in the room directed their attention to him. Ruby and Sun rushed over to his counter to find him on the ground, cowering in fear over something unknown.

"Jaune, what's wrong?" Ruby helped the slightly taller man up to his feet while Sun looked around to find the problem.

"Th-Th-There w-was a sp-spid-der—"

A collective of groans were released into the quiet atmosphere, Sun and Qrow crossing their arms and face palming as Ruby shook her head in disappointment. "It's just a spider, Jaune."

"It's not just a spider! It's life or death! Have you seen the spiders in Mistral? They're huge!" Jaune motioned with his arms to exaggerate.

"They're not that bad," Sun said as he strode to his counter.

"Alright, alright, sissies, get behind your counters. We're opening in a few minutes, so hurry up and get to work." Qrow took a sip from his flask and went back to the employee room, most likely back to his office. Ruby knew he could be a loose canon and sometimes slack off, but Qrow Branwen was always diligent in whatever he did.

"So Ruby, how've you and Snow Cone been getting along lately?" Sun grinned from across the counters, receiving an eye roll from Ruby.

"We're doing great. Why do you ask? You've got your own man to gawk at," Ruby retorted as she cleaned a marker barrel.

"And you've got your tiny CEO," The blonde answered with a chuckle.

The brunette crossed her arms and grinned. "Funny you talk about my girl when she's much bigger than you'll ever be."

Beside her, Ruby heard Jaune snickering behind his counter as he was restocking a few boxes of vests. "What a low blow."

Ruby laughed even louder at that, Sun pouting like a child with a mild blush on his cheeks. "You two are jerks."

"Is that what your little friend said to your hands whenever Neptune comes to mind?" Ruby was practically wheezing as Jaune gave her a high five.

"Stop it! You're so dirty!"

Jaune and Ruby looked at each other with the same sentence in mind. "That's what _he_ said!"

Sun groaned and flopped onto his counter, his arms sprawled out in defeat and humiliation. Ruby sighed and rolled her eyes, her smile remaining. "Hey don't worry Sun, we're just joking. You know we would never belittle you."

"Because you're as little as they come!" Jaune snorted, causing Ruby to burst out laughing again.

"OhMyGodSomeoneHelpMe..." the poor blonde man whined.

The bell above the door rang, all three employees shaping up as quickly as possible to greet the customer. A tall woman with sunglasses, shiny brown hair with frosted tips, and a beret came in with another brunette, her hair significantly longer.

"Coco?" Ruby called as she moved around her counter. "What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Nah, it's fine. I'm only here to help Velvet pick up her new marker." The assistant replied with a shrug. "I was actually on the way to get Weiss some coffee."

"Got it." The red-tipped brunette held her hand out for the other brunette beside Coco. "Ruby Rose at your service. I've seen you around before. You ref at Emerald, right?"

The long-haired brunette nodded. "Yes, that's correct. I'm Velvet Scarlatina, Coco's girlfriend. I'm here to pick up the marker on hold."

"Oh, so you're the one who ordered that Dye M2!" Ruby grinned and nudged Velvet's shoulder. "A very professional marker, good choice."

"I do believe it would best suit my speedball abilities." Velvet giggled as she brushed her hair behind an ear. "I will admit that I've tried using magfed markers, but I could never compare to you."

Ruby quickly went to her counter and waved the two women over. "C'mon, it's all just practice! Everyone starts from somewhere!"

"Well that somewhere just gets me nowhere, so I stuck with the normal markers." Velvet picked up the marker on the counter and inspected it thoroughly, starting from the barrel and all the way to the hopper.

"Wanna try it out? We have a shooting range in the back," the professional paintballer suggested.

"No, it's alright. This is fine, thank you. I've already paid online, so I suppose I'll be taking my leave now." The two brunettes started walking to the exit of the shop. "Nice to meet you, Ruby! Thanks again!"

"Later! Hope we can play together sometime!"

And after that, the store was quiet. The three employees went back to work, throwing about the occasional tease or joke until they went on lunch break. When they all started working for Qrow, they all agreed upon a schedule of who was allowed to go out for lunch while the other two stayed at the shop to eat.

Lucky for Ruby, today was her turn.

* * *

Ruby pulled out her scroll and wondered whether she should call Weiss or just surprise her. She knew what Weiss would want, and she knew that she'd most likely be haply with whatever the paintballer got her, but Ruby still couldn't help but doubt herself.

She would call Coco instead, she thought. And so she called, notifying Coco that she would provide her incredibly work-addicted girlfriend with food.

As she stepped into the deli, she immediately noticed the slightly long line. At least she had enough time to decide what she wanted. Ruby typically leaned toward anything with meat, preferably in the form of a ball and served with marinara sauce and cheese.

Yes, Ruby did love meatball subs. She loved them ever since the second grade.

Weiss was quite different. She did enjoy meat, but she preferred a fresh cut kind of thing. Like cold slices of ham or turkey. Ruby decided she would get Weiss a BLT. Weiss liked vegetables, unlike herself. She'd eat them, but not out of enjoyment.

Seventeen minutes later, Ruby came out with a plastic bag of two sandwiches, two small bags of chips, and two fizzy beverages. She swiftly trotted to her car and went straight to Weiss's office.

The business facility was tall, huge, and had at least six main wings that branched out from the center tower. Apparently, if you were to view the headquarters from above, the building was supposed to take the shape of the famous Schnee snowflake emblem.

"How the heck did I end up with the CEO of this monstrously huge place?"

Ruby had been here many times before for lunch with Weiss, but that didn't mean she was still familiar with the route to her office. She still had to follow the signs while scratching her head, receiving odd looks from some of the workers.

_If I got her flowers, would it make more sense?_ Ruby wasn't sure what message she was sending to the watching employees, but she knew that she was most definitely lost. She kept walking until she stumbled—literally stumbled—into what happened to be the front desk.

"Do you have an appointment?" The much older woman behind the desk sounded rather impatient and annoyed. She wasn't enjoying her job, Ruby could tell. "Well? We don't have all day here."

"O-Oh, right...um, no? I'm here to see Weiss Schnee?" Ruby nervously chuckled, though no response was received from the grumpy woman.

"Name?"

"Ruby Ro—"

"Rose?" The blonde sighed and adjusted the glasses on her face. "I told you before, the elevator is just to the right of this desk." She continued on with her work, typing away at her computer while sighing every few seconds.

Not knowing what more to say, Ruby left in silence and entered the elevator. Weiss's office was on the top floor, which was the 25th floor.

A good couple of minutes went by before she reached the top floor, Weiss office just a few yards away from the elevator. In a few long strides, she reached the door and nearly got knocked out by it. The door with a covered window flew open and nearly slammed into Ruby with Coco at the knob. Thanks to her quick reflexes, Ruby was able to dodge it, but only just. If she had moved a second later, she would've ended up with a large bruise on her forehead and an even larger one in the abdomen where the door handle would have made contact.

"Oh, holy crap!" Coco gasped and repeatedly apologized for nearly killing the younger girl. "You scared the living daylights out of me! Weiss is still working, but it's not a whole lot, so you can go ahead."

"Do you want to join us?"

"Nah, it's alright. I was sent to fetch a report and then run a few more errands, so I don't think I can. Thanks though, Ruby." The brunette smiled as she left the door open for Ruby, walking into the elevator before the doors slid shut.

Ruby knocked on the open door, hoping to catch Weiss's attention. "Lunch delivery for Miss Weiss Schnee?"

The businesswoman looked up from her laptop and immediately broke out her smile. She rose from her seat and walked over to Ruby, who trotted happily towards the older woman. "Hey Ruby, how are you?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around the taller woman.

"Was doing pretty good, but now I'm doing even better." Ruby returned the embrace and kissed Weiss's lips in turn. "How's your day so far?"

Weiss sighed as she led Ruby to her desk. "Busy, as always, but I don't mind. And you're here, so I'd say my day is going quite well so far."

"That's good. Got you a BLT and a soda. Didn't know if you wanted chips, so I got you some anyway." Ruby laid out the contents of the plastic bag onto the table and handed Weiss her sandwich.

"Thank you, Ruby. I didn't realize how hungry I was until you came."

"Yeah," Ruby smirked, "I have that effect on people. We can skip to dessert if you're that eager to—"

A flick to the forehead stopped the paintballer right in her tracks. "Dolt, you know I didn't mean it that way."

Ruby rubbed her red forehead and chuckled. "You set yourself up for it."

"Now you're turning into Yang. Just eat your food." Weiss rolled her eyes as she bit into her sandwich, partly focused on her work while the rest of her attention was on Ruby.

"Anything new today?"

"Well," Weiss swallowed her food before continuing, "our team negotiated with one of the smaller companies in Mistral and successfully converted it into a Schnee subsidiary."

"Which means?"

"We were able to turn it into a smaller branch of the company."

An 'o' shaped mouth formed on Ruby's face as she silently nodded in understanding.

Weiss shifted in her seat and leaned forward, her elbows propped up on her desk. "What about you? Anything new for you?"

"Nah, not really. Just have another game today, you're welcome to join if you want."

"I'm afraid I have a lot to work on this afternoon, sorry. What's the game?"

"Urban warfare. Domination. There's supposed to be over a hundred players today." Ruby popped open her bag of chips and took a couple in her hand. "It's just a small event. The big events are the ones worth looking forward to."

"What ones are coming up?"

"There's a huge event at the end of the summer called Lights Out. Every year in the Forever Fall Forest, PBU Industries holds a paintball event at night. Thousands of players from around the world come to play." Ruby scooted to the edge of her chair, leaning forward as she prepared to explain the entirety of the event. "Lasts a total of three days, each night being a wave. It's kinda like a zombie apocalypse thing, we get assigned three missions per night, and each night is supposed to get harder. In wave one, you get lanterns that last all night. Wave two, you get a single glow stick that lasts a couple of hours. In wave three, you get a small flashlight with limited range—it only shines a few feet with a small circumference. It's honestly worse than the glow sticks, and the batteries only last about an hour before dying. The missions are the craziest part of the whole experience; if you don't complete each mission by dawn, you lose your light source for the next night."

The businesswoman seemed somewhat lost, but quickly shook herself back into reality. "That sounds intense. How do you win?"

"You survive all three waves. I've never been able to beat it. I made it to the last hour of wave three until I got shot by a zombie. Blake was with me, and we found out Nora was the one who shot me."

"Isn't it dangerous to play paintball in the dark?" Weiss took a few of Ruby's chips despite having her own bag.

"That's exactly why it's fun!" the brunette giggled. "PBU always schedules the event when the moon is at its peak."

"For three whole days? What about weather?"

Ruby smirked. "Makes everything all the more interesting."

As time went on, the couple of paintballers continued to eat and laugh, compliments and flirtatious comments were said, and the occasional kiss found its way to the lips of the two women. But because time stopped for nobody, Ruby and Weiss had to continue with their work.

"Have a good rest of your afternoon, Ruby." Weiss pecked at Ruby's lips and watched the younger woman walk to the door.

"I'll see you later, Weiss!" Ruby blew a kiss at her girlfriend and winked before closing the office door behind her.

Weiss sat back down in her chair and sighed as silence surrounded her. She groaned as she checked her scroll. Five more hours until her shift ended.

She already missed Ruby.

* * *

Two more hours since Ruby's lunch date had gone by, and now she had one hour left until she could go to the event in the abandoned establishment near the south end of the city. The two hours that went by were filled with restocking paintball equipment, snarky jokes (most of them directed at Sun, the poor dude), and customers being tended to every so often.

Just when the two blondes and brunette thought they could catch a break, the bell atop the door rang again, and a burly man with a crew cut came in with a marker in hand. With caramel-brown hair, sapphire eyes, and a cocky smirk, all three employees knew exactly who they had to deal with now.

"What do you want this time, Cardin?" Sun was nearly immediate in asking, his tone so clearly agitated.

"I'm here for Rose." The burly man walked towards Ruby's counter with his marker armed. Usually doesn't mean anything good, and considering that this was Cardin Winchester, infamous for cheating in every paintball game he's in, whatever was about to go down was definitely no good.

Ruby stood up straight and steeled herself for whatever he may spit at her. "Cardin."

"Ruby Rose. I think my marker is broken. Mind fixing it?" Cardin's voice was in the most condescending tone Ruby had ever heard. She didn't know what he was getting at, but he was already on her nerves.

"Your marker looks fine, and considering how many times you get hit and never actually hit anyone, I doubt there is anything I need to fix internally. A paintballer of three years should know how to take care of his marker and should know how to clean the inside if there is a jam. Now if that will be all, then you may leave this store." Ruby stuck with her calm voice. She had dealt with Cardin many times in the past, especially during high school. He never directly bullied her, but she had been involved in a couple of fights with him.

"I'm not gonna leave yet. I need to know why you're cheating at paintball, Ruby Rose." Cardin leaned on the counter, his grin only causing Ruby to cringe—internally of course, she was never one to disrespect a customer. "You never miss a single shot. I've seen your games, I've seen your 'skills' and let me tell you: I ain't buying it."

The brunette sighed. "Years of practice, Cardin. That simple. I don't cheat."

"Yes you do."

Sun and Jaune exchanged glances as they watched the scene between Cardin and Ruby unfold. Ruby could tell that they both wanted to intervene, but Cardin was just being too stupid to really do anything without him making a big fit.

"I can take you to the range out back and show you if you'd like."

"Sure. Show me all the paintball-illegal tech you use. I bet you got it all from that Schnee dyke." Cardin's words were a stinging poison that burned Ruby's heart.

As soon as those words were said, Sun and Jaune quickly left their stations to back Ruby up. Sun tapped the taller man on the shoulder, his rare scowl replacing his typical smile. "Cardin, I think it's time you leave this store. Now."

Ruby shook her head and removed Sun's hand from Cardin's shoulder. "I'm not starting anything in my store, so you need to come with me." The brunette dragged the young man just outside the store, being immediate to shove him up against the wall with angry, beady eyes. She was no longer the kind, cheerful woman she usually was. No, a demon of fury had just been released, and now her victim was surely going to pay.

"Don't you ever dare come into my place of work, accuse me of cheating at my own game, and talk shit about my girlfriend. You have no right to do any of those things, and if you come back here, I will call the police for harassment." Ruby's voice was low, but ferocity was hinted with each syllable spoken.

For a moment, Cardin seemed somewhat shocked. His face didn't show it immediately, but underneath was true fear. Ruby knew this because this sort of encounter had happened before. She thought she had won this battle.

But Cardin always refused losing, and when the first punch was thrown, Ruby stumbled back with a bloody nose.

Wiping the blood away, Ruby stood and popped her neck, readying her fists for the brawl about to go down. "Guess I'm not going to that game today."

"Good. You don't deserve to play, you cheating dyke."

He was in for it now. Ruby got into a proper fighting stance, her arms close to her head with one foot in front of the other. Yang had taught her this guarding stance, knowing that Ruby would need to learn self-defense after their first encounter with Cardin. Cardin stood normally, his fists balled up tightly.

Ruby was never one to go straight in for the punch, but he crossed a line. He crossed it by miles. She chambered her arm and extended, thrusting her arm right into his gut. He was now hunched forward, arms holding his stomach. The next punch went straight to his jaw, one of the knockout points in the human body. Her attempt was unsuccessful, resulting in an aching fist while Cardin remained conscious.

Cardin stood up and took a swing, missed, and received a counter attack. He stumbled back only slightly, now charging forward with his fist poised for the strike. He was only relying on his weight now. Because Ruby was never taught how to redirect the energy coming from his fist, she suffered the consequences and ended up on the ground, hitting her head hard. Cardin was now on top of her, one of the worst scenarios for a fight. She didn't know how to turn the tables. She didn't know how to get this asshole off of her. All she could do was block his hits.

As if a sentient being had called upon them, Sun and Jaune came out of the store and rushed in to help Ruby. They tried to lift the man off of her, Jaune holding him in a headlock while Sun helped restrain him. Ruby lay there on the concrete, nearly unconscious with too many bruises and gashes all over. She could barely defend herself in such a position, and it was only a matter of time before her arms became weak to his strikes.

"Get off of her, asshole!" Sun barked, being forced to sock the man a few times to get him up. As a result of that, Sun had to face the barrage of punches coming at him. At least he wasn't focused on Ruby right now.

"What the _hell_ is going on out here?"

All three men and Ruby looked in the direction in which the scruffy, old voice came. It came from Qrow, and he was _pissed_. "Cardin Winchester. What have I told you before? You need to grow up and get a life and quite messing with my staff!" Qrow stepped towards the now trembling bully, his rusty-red eyes narrowing in anger. "You best get the fuck out of here or I will take you down myself. Don't ever come back to this store."

Cardin was now pale as snow. Nobody ever messes with the Rose Markers staff. Because if you did, you would have to face the wrath of Qrow Branwen. He was a former soldier, a master marksman, and the scariest demon on Remnant if he was ever provoked. Qrow took one hand out of his pocket and held the younger man by his hair. "Scram, douchebag. And get your head out of your ass while you're at it."

He sure as hell ran far away, far enough to get out of their peripheral vision. Jaune attended to Ruby while Sun explained what happened earlier inside.

"Ruby, are you alright?" Jaune was clearly distressed, worry as clear as day in his eyes.

Ruby grunted in response and shook her head slowly.

"Got it. Do you think you can stand? We're gonna have to take you to the hospital."

The brunette attempted to, but failed after suddenly feeling dizzy. She tried to speak to Jaune, but couldn't come up with coherent sentences. Only groans and grunts escaped her mouth, which was a sign to Jaune that she was most likely concussed.

Jaune sighed. "Okay. Hold tight, I'm gonna get you to my car." Despite being a weak wimp, Jaune was built well. Broad shoulders, slim body, and enough muscle to carry Ruby across the parking lot.

The young man gently placed the younger woman in the passenger seat, buckling her seat belt in for her. Ruby knew she had to say something, despite how much pain she felt everywhere.

"Th-Thank you, Jaune." Ruby smiled weakly, receiving a smile in return.

* * *

Ruby did indeed have a concussion and received a packet of instructions for care-taking. She was given a few pain meds, some bandages for the open wounds, and a granola bar from Jaune because she was hungry.

Jaune had to drive her home for the reason of not being allowed to operate heavy machinery. He helped her up to her apartment and left about ten minutes later when he needed to help close up shop.

In the heat of all of this, Ruby never had the chance to call Weiss. Jaune was too concerned over Ruby's health to even think about it, and Sun was probably busy back at the shop. Ruby could only feel the disappointment burning a hole in her heart.

"See you in a couple of days, Ruby. Hope you get better soon," were the last words Jaune spoke before he left her alone in the apartment.

Of course she had Zwei, but he didn't provide too much help when it came down to comforting. It was odd, really. Zwei has always managed to help, but right now, Ruby didn't want to be helped. She still felt angry. Her teeth grit every time she thought about what happened today, her anger rising when she remembered what Cardin had called Weiss.

Currently, Ruby was sat down in front of her couch, her knees held tightly to her chest while Zwei sat quietly on the couch. The TV was off, no music was blaring through her surround sound system, and only sounds of quiet breaths filled the silence. She sat there, sulking until it was evening and the sound of keys unlocking the door suddenly startled her.

"Ruby, I brought dinner!" Her voice was what she needed to hear, but Ruby did not make a move to stand and greet Weiss.

Zwei left his spot on the couch and greeted the white-haired woman, Weiss making her usual baby noises for him. After her moment of fun with Zwei, Weiss started to wonder why Ruby was still sitting alone by the couch. "Ruby? Are you alright?"

Weiss removed her bag and coat, placing them on the counter of the kitchenette, noticing the informational packet straight away. She thought to ask Ruby, but realized that if Ruby didn't greet her right away, then something went wrong in her day. She would ask Ruby about the packet later. For now, she decided she would get to the root of Ruby's mood.

The CEO quietly made her way towards Ruby, sitting beside the younger woman in a similar fashion to her. "How was the game?"

"I didn't go."

"How come?" Alarms were now going off in Weiss's mind, her thoughts on something being wrong with Ruby now confirmed.

Ruby refused to look Weiss in the eye, turning her head away from the businesswoman who so desperately wanted to help her girlfriend. "Something happened at work today."

Taking one of Ruby's hands in her own, Weiss scooted closer and started rubbing small circles on the back of the paintballer with her other hand. "I'm listening."

"Cardin Winchester, the king of all assholes and the worst bully since sophomore year, came in today." Ruby sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand. Weiss could tell that Ruby was exhausted and bitter. "He came in and accused me of cheating. Then he accused me of using paintball support tech and said I got them from you. Then he...he called you a dyke."

Weiss did not speak, not knowing what to say after something like that. She could tell that Ruby was pained to say it, but nonetheless, she forged on.

"It—it really made me angry, and I spoke to him outside the store. Then he punched me and called me a dyke. And that's how I got all of these," Ruby lifted up her arms to reveal all the bruises and bandage wraps and finally turned her face to show Weiss even more of the damage done. "I'm not happy with him, and I'm even more so upset with myself."

"But you shouldn't be!" Weiss was quick to wrap her arms gently around the girl beside her. "If he did all of those things, then do not be upset for defending yourself."

"He called you a dyke! It just hurt me so much, and I'm so sorry I couldn't bring him to justice. I wanted to defend you, but he ended up running, a-and..." Ruby's resolve was visibly breaking, and Weiss placed a kiss on her girlfriend's head.

"Shhh, don't speak." Holding the girl tighter, Weiss allowed the young woman to bury her head into the nook of her neck. "Defending me alone is already the greatest thing anyone has ever done for me. You're my hero, Ruby."

"I'm not though. I didn't save anyone, I didn't gain any reward or promote justice, and I most definitely don't deserve to be called a hero. I just ended up hurting myself." Ruby sighed and shook her head into Weiss's body. "I always end up hurting someone."

"Don't say that, I know it isn't true—"

"But it is, Weiss. I ended up fighting him and dragging my coworkers into the situation. Even my boss. Now I have a concussion, and you're the only one close enough to take care of me. I'm a burden, Weiss."

"You have a concussion? I suppose that would explain the packet on the counter..." Weiss lifted Ruby's chin so that icy blue eyes could meet silver. "But regardless, Ruby, you are the only burden I would be willing to carry. I can drop work for as long as you need me to until you recover. Coco knows what to do, and as of right now, you are my top priority."

Gently, Weiss kissed her partner and laced her fingers with Ruby's, being careful not to hurt the girl in any way. She wanted to show Ruby that she was no burden, and if anything, she was a blessing from above. The world didn't deserve anyone like Ruby, but here she was, being the kindest she could be without even realizing it. This girl was willing to sacrifice herself for anything she cared so strongly about, and Weiss wanted to put her at ease and show that she could do just the same.

The older woman pulled away and pressed her forehead onto Ruby's own, brushing away any stray locks of hair that hindered her vision of Ruby's beautiful, mercury eyes. "I don't believe that you realize just how noble and kind you are by putting your life on the line for someone like me. I'm honestly at a lost of words just by hearing you speak about the events that took place in a single afternoon, and I just want you to know that you don't have to feel awful about any of this." Weiss brought both of her hands to Ruby's face to feel each wound, gently and carefully. "If what you say is true about him, then he deserved it. He seems like a douche."

Ruby tittered. "You said douche."

"There's the Ruby Rose I know." The businesswoman pecked Ruby's nose and smiled thoughtfully. "Don't let it bring you down anymore, okay? My mother always told me that you must keep moving forward. The body is weak and breakable, but the spirit is indomitable. I know you can be strong, right? Can you do that for me?"

With a quiet sigh, Ruby smiled back and nodded. "I'll try my best."

"That's my dolt," Weiss replied, rustling Ruby's hair. "Now get the table ready while dinner's still hot. I'll go over the packet quickly before we eat."

For the remainder of the evening, the two spent their time eating Weiss's takeout, cuddling afterwards on the couch, and finally resting in bed.

As Weiss slipped under the covers to spoon with Ruby, she felt an odd and rather displeasing sensation from down below. Quickly, she went straight for the bathroom with a change of underwear.

"Are you alright, Weiss?" Ruby called from the bed.

"Yes, I'm fine, I'll be there in a moment! Just go to sleep now! You need your rest for a swift recovery!" Weiss ordered as she struggled on the toilet. She sighed as she grumbled to herself, "I want chocolate now."

* * *

**It's been a little while, huh? I've been a little busy with work lately, and school's starting up again, so that stinks. Updates will probably take longer than I want them to, but I'll try to get them out for you guys!**

**also thanks to those who pointed out my mistake, apparently i uploaded the wrong chapter for chapter 5 lol that's what happens when you work till like 11:30pm**

**But there's chapter five for ya! Hope you enjoyed reading! Thoughts are always appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

She had nearly forgotten. What an idiot! What kind of girlfriend forgets their girlfriend's birthday? Well, that kind of girlfriend just so happened to be Miss Weiss Schnee, who had only remembered Ruby's birthday when it came up in a conversation.

"Weiss? You listening?" Yang was waving her hands about an inch away from Weiss's face, which really displeased her once she was brought back from space.

"Yes, I am, and your dirty hands are not needed," Weiss sneered as she brushed away the large hands in front of her. "You said you got her a what?"

"Not _got_, I _made_ her the biggest cookie cake she will ever see. What did you do?"

"Well, with one week left..." Weiss had to think really quickly. First thing that popped into her head: Ruby. Second: summer. Third: beach? What was the best beach in Vale? One that had beach houses to rent for a night or two...a light bulb went off in her mind. "I booked a weekend vacation for the four of us at The Eagle Point."

Yang visibly did a double take and squinted her eyes in focus. "C-Come again?"

Weiss would have to book the houses tonight. She quickly made a mental note before responding. "I booked a weekend vacation for you, me, Ruby, and Blake. We're staying at The Eagle Point."

"Weiss, are you serious right now? The beach itself could already be a great trip, but you went and booked some houses? Exactly how rich are you?"

"I can't tell you that. For many reasons."

The door to Weiss's office opened, and a certain bubbly paintballer came rushing through the large room and straight to Weiss. Yang watched the display of affection and leaned back in her chair. "Sure, find a girlfriend and completely forget about your big sis. I see, I get it."

"Sorry, Yang, I didn't mean it like that," Ruby chuckled as she moved to hug Yang next. "Just gotta give my girlfriend some love."

"And leave none for me?"

"You've had the past twenty years, and not once did I complain when you started dating Blake. Weiss deserves some too, ya know." The brunette pulled up a chair and sat at the desk with the two older women. "What've you guys been talking about?"

"Nothing much," Yang shrugged, "just about your embarrassing middle school life."

Weiss nodded as a smile curled onto her lips. "You never told me you were Little Red Riding Hood, Ruby."

The blush on her face could not be any more obvious. "Yang, you told her?!"

"Yep! Every juicy detail!" The blonde started to laugh, and as Ruby's face flared as red as her tips, Weiss quietly joined in.

"In Ruby's defense, you did burn down a club one time."

"Ruby, you told her?!" Now Yang's face was as red as Ruby's. "He had it coming..."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that you burned down his entire place!" Ruby squeaked. "You're lucky I told Weiss and not Dad!"

"Alright, you two, that's enough now. My office is not your household, so I don't need to hear your arguments here." Weiss attempt to settle the siblings down was a success, both of them remaining quiet with their arms crossed. "Honestly, you two are practically still children."

While the siblings sat in silence for whatever odd reason - though she wasn't complaining - Weiss continued to work, and by work, she was really booking those beach houses. They did cost quite a bit per night, especially considering the fact that she had to rent two for Yang and Blake. She and Ruby would most likely be getting intimate, and it wouldn't come as a surprise if Yang and Blake did too. Just an extra precaution.

"So Weiss," Ruby said, her tone switching from embarrassment to a sly, somewhat seductive voice. "Anything special you want to tell me regarding my special day coming up?"

"Perhaps the fact that you are very special to me."

"Is, um...is that all?"

Weiss looked up from her laptop. Ruby was really trying, but Weiss just would not let her know. "Is that not what you were looking for?"

"N-No...I mean, yes, but..." The brunette groaned and gave up. "I meant about my birthday! Did you get me anything?"

"Oh, your birthday? That's for me to know and you to find out."

Ruby's silver eyes suddenly lit up, despite the fact that she didn't get what she was looking for. "Are we gonna do what I think we're gonna do?"

"What are you implying?" Weiss queried, an amused smile on her face.

The young woman held up two fingers in a 'v' shape and wiggled her tongue between them. "Ya know?"

Now it was Weiss's turn to flush as red as Ruby's tips. "I really wish I didn't..."

Yang perked up and smirked. "Maybe you two want to have a fours—"

"You finish that sentence and you are out of this office." In all seriousness, Weiss glared at her like a dead man.

"Was just joking."

"I'd rather you not."

"Fine," the blonde grumbled. "You're no fun."

"You're inappropriate. I'd much rather it be me and Ruby and no one else."

Ruby raised her hand. "I second that."

"And I highly doubt Blake would approve," Weiss turned back to her laptop and typed away.

As silence filled the room again, Ruby broke the silence and asked about Yang's day. Apparently, the blonde boxer/waitress was released early and went to Weiss's office because she was bored. When Ruby asked about Blake, Yang said she was busy at an interview with a publishing company.

"Why didn't you come to my work if that's the case?" Ruby swept away the hairs in her face that bothered her.

"As much as I love you, Ruby, all you talk about is either Weiss or paintball."

"How is that any different from before?"

Yang crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out. "It's weird to see my sister gush about an actual person and not just paintball guns."

Weiss tittered and winked at Ruby. "I don't mind."

Ruby got out of her seat and plopped herself down in Weiss's lap. "Good. I don't plan to ever stop."

"As long as it annoys Yang," the businesswoman smirked, "then by all means."

"God you two are something else," Yang muttered, rising from her chair. "Welp, I'm gonna go home and leave you two be."

"Bye Yang!" Ruby moved swiftly to give her a hug before returning to her seat beside Weiss. "So Weiss..."

"Yes, Ruby?" The busy CEO made no move to glance at the young girl, her eyes glued to her laptop monitor.

"Maybe—"

"If you're wanting to have sex on my desk, I'm afraid I'll have to decline despite how appealing that does sound right now."

"What? I wasn't gonna ask that..."

Now Weiss was looking up at her with a slightly impatient glance. "Then what is it?"

"I was thinking maybe we could get dinner when you get off? Then we could go back to my place and watch a movie or something?"

"Well," Weiss stretched and popped her back in her chair, "before you came today, I was planning to get takeout and go to your place."

"You sleep at my apartment so often, Weiss." Ruby rested her whole upper body on Weiss's desk. "You might as well just live with me."

The silver-haired businesswoman was speechless, seeming completely dumbfounded.

Ruby waved a hand in front of her girlfriend. "You alright, Weiss?"

"I-I'm..." She blinked a few times and did a double take. "A-Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, why not? We've known each other for a good few months now, been dating for the same amount of time, and you practically already live with me." Sitting up, Ruby shrugged and crossed her arms. "I don't see why not."

"It would be nice...your home is much closer to my work than my own, and I do enjoy greeting Zwei every evening." Weiss sat back in her chair and stared at the ceiling in thought. "I'll admit that it will be nice to officially live with you and come home to you."

The brunette chuckled. "You do that anyway."

"I suppose I do." After a few more moments of thinking, Weiss came to her conclusion. "Let's do it. But when we have the time. We're currently in the middle of a seasonal shift, and there are a lot of things I need to review before the quarter ends. It's also your birthday week, and I wouldn't want to overwhelm you with moving my belongings in."

"Alright, sounds fair enough." Ruby then rested her chin on her hands as she gazed at her beautiful partner beside her. "Now for the important matter of business: where do you want to go for dinner?"

* * *

The day had come. Weiss was sure to fill in her weekly quota early to have the weekend off. And now the greatest weekend of Ruby's life was about to begin. Starting with waking up, Weiss gently wrapped her arms around the sleeping beauty beside her and made herself comfortable in the nook of her neck. She knew Ruby loved waking up like this, and she had to admit that she did as well.

A quiet mumble came from the younger woman, and Weiss was quick to react. She gently caressed Ruby's face in her hands and planted a soft kiss on the woman's lips.

"Mornin' Weiss," the brunette groggily murmured. She responded to Weiss's acts of affections and returned each kiss and touch.

"Good morning. Happy birthday, Ruby."

"Already?" Ruby tittered. "Man, I wanted to stay twenty. It's my favorite number."

"And why is that?" Weiss questioned with a smile.

Ruby shrugged. "No particular reason. Just one of those things where you gotta pick and it just sticks."

"I guess that's understandable. But you're twenty-one now," the silverette pressed another kiss to Ruby's lips. "How does it feel?"

"Not that different. Even if I'm now legally allowed to have alcohol, that doesn't mean I'll drink it. Beer tastes gross, wine is worse, and I don't think I could ever handle the strong stuff."

"How would you know what beer and wine taste like?" A white eyebrow arched in question.

The paintballer giggled. "Well, as a kid, have either of your parents let you try wine?"

"My father did when I was around six."

"And did you like it?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Exactly." Ruby nodded to further prove her point. "Then I was hanging out with Uncle Qrow one evening. I think I was sixteen, he let me try a bottle of beer."

"Did you enjoy it?"

Ruby laughed. "Why do you think I said beer tasted gross?"

"Alright, point proven," Weiss chuckled. "Are you ready for your birthday weekend to get started?"

"If it includes more of this and a lot more of you, then hell yeah! But can I get a bit of dessert before breakfast?" Ruby's sly smirk only brought a grin to Weiss's face as the younger woman started on her neck.

As much as Weiss did want to take Ruby for all she was worth, those activities were meant for tonight and the rest of their weekend. So as kindly as she could, she kept her grin and gently pried Ruby's head from her chest. "You're not getting dessert until you're all partied out. Besides, you've got the whole weekend to feast."

"All partied out? What're you up to, Weiss Schnee?"

"Things that you'll find out once we get there. Now get dressed, we're going to the diner for breakfast." Weiss sat up and immediately gasped as the cold air hit her bare skin. "Why's it always so damn cold in the morning?"

"It can get pretty hot in here when—" a pillow suddenly interrupted Ruby and knocked her back down on the bed. As quickly as she fell, Ruby rose back up to protest. "Hey, you didn't let me finish!"

"I know what you were going to say!"

"I wasn't going to say when we make love, I meant because it's summer! It gets so freaking hot in here without the AC!" Ruby crossed her arms and smirked. "Who's the dolt now?"

Weiss didn't say anything, continuing to the bathroom nude with a very red face. "Keep that up and you get none of Yang's cake."

The brunette gasped loudly and ran to Weiss. "She's not making her famous cookie cake, is she?"

"In her words, it will be 'the biggest cookie cake she will ever see.'"

Now Ruby's mouth was watering. "I'll behave! I promise!"

"Good, now go get changed! We're both still _very_ naked!" Weiss barked, shoving Ruby into the closet.

As the two were changing, Weiss quickly grabbed a large suitcase filled with enough clothes for the two of them this weekend. She had packed it while Ruby was at work the other day. It took her a quite a bit to find Ruby's swimsuit, and her nosebleed upon finding it lasted even longer. Her imagination had never run so wild.

"What's the suitcase for?" Ruby arched an eyebrow and caressed her chin, seeming to completely forget about the unbuttoned jeans around her waist. "You're not trying to send me to some obscure country with all of my belongings, are you?"

"I can assure you that nothing of the sort will happen. However, we will be going somewhere to spend the weekend. I'll give you that much."

"Hmm, I wonder where..." As the birthday girl started to guess in her mind, she buttoned her jeans and threw on a red and black flannel.

"You don't need to worry about that right now," Weiss said just after spitting out some mouthwash. She quickly did her hair in her usual side ponytail, brushing out all of the knots and tangles that remained in her mane of white. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeap! Lemme just brush my hair real quick and then we'll get going!"

Ruby took at least two minutes to brush her hair in a very frantic fashion, tying it up in a messy ponytail. Weiss couldn't help but smile upon seeing it. "I like the ponytail. Suits you quite nicely."

"It's my birthday after all, thought I'd change it up a bit."

Weiss reached up to what Ruby thought would be her face. Instead, the CEO reached to grab the ponytail and yank it, though not hard enough to hurt too much.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"You're a dolt." The businesswoman gently caressed her girlfriend's face and kissed her lips. "My silly, talented, and incredible dolt."

The trip to the diner was harmonious to say the least. The two sang each song on the radio without a single care in the entire world, harmonizing and taking turns to solo. Ruby wanted to drive, but knowing how distracted Ruby would've been with her birthday and all, Ruby being distracted and driving was out of the question.

Distracted driving is out of the question period. Stay off of your phones while driving, peeps. ;)

With the expensive VMW parked in the parking lot, Weiss led Ruby into the diner, and as soon as they entered, the entire staff came out to surprise her.

"Happy birthday, Ruby!"

Confetti was thrown all over, party horns were blown about, and Yang snuck up on her sister to place a party hat on her head. They all cheered and clapped, and in the matter of seconds, everyone was chanting for a speech.

Ruby dramatically brought her fist to her heart and sniffled. "This very day is not about my birthday or another year of me being closer to death, but simply a reminder of how precious time is and how quickly it can slip away. I remember just yesterday I was off to my first day of kindergarten and now here I am. All grown, not alone, and a working champion."

No one spoke nor reacted, and Weiss was confused for a moment.

"Nah, I'm just joking! You guys are the greatest!"

And at that final statement, they all cheered once more. Pyrrha clapped her hands loudly to gather the attention of her coworkers. "Alright, back to work guys! Thank you!"

Yang wrapped her arms tightly around the white and red couple, leading them to a booth by a window. "A very good morning to you two! And a happy fan-freaking-tastic birthday to the best sister in the world!"

"Thanks, Yang." Ruby smiled as she hugged her sister in return.

"I hope I'm not getting ahead of myself for saying, but no snarky comment about me for a whole eight minutes?" Weiss smirked. "Someone's in a _really_ good mood today."

"Don't get cocky, Ice Queen. I'm just glad that I can now drag my sister to a bar and drink with her whenever I want!"

"Hey, twenty-one years doesn't mean I _want_ to drink, Yang," the younger sibling whined. "I don't need alcohol. I drink milk."

"Whose milk? Snow Cone's?"

Both Ruby and Weiss flushed and looked anywhere that wasn't at the giant bimbo in front of them. Weiss sighed, still refusing to look at the blonde. "Just...get me and Ruby some breakfast..."

To make matters worse, Yang started cackling like a hyena. "As you wish, Ice Queen." The blonde idiot curtsied while snickering.

"I love her but I hate her." Ruby rested her chin on her palm, which was propped up by her elbow.

Weiss tittered. "Would you be offended if I agreed?"

"Not at all." The smile Ruby had never ceased to make Weiss's heart flutter. "Just as long as you don't actually hate her. You...you don't _actually_ hate her, do you?"

"No, of course not. I could never," Weiss looked away for a slight moment, "though she makes it _very_ hard."

"You'll get used to it." Ruby sighed and stretched her back. "What's your plan for today, Weiss?"

"The plan is to grab everyone else at the paintball shop. Sun will take us to the final destination in his truck."

"We're riding in Sun's truck?! Do you have any idea how filthy that rust bucket is?"

The businesswoman smirked as if she had just finished signing a contract (she gets really excited and kinda smug about signing good contracts, Ruby considered herself lucky to witness it once). "Worry not, for I have forced him against his own will to scrub that vehicle up to my own personal standards."

Ruby's silver orbs twinkled brightly like stars. "Wow, I didn't think that was even possible! I don't know how many you've invited to whatever it is you've planned, but that truck only fits two people. Wouldn't it be better to take a van or something?"

"We're all sitting in the back." Weiss pulled out her scroll and started to review it. "I've checked every law in Vale and found nothing against it, so I think we should be fine. We're not going on the main highways either, so it should be fine."

"I've never ridden in the back of a truck before, this is gonna be so fun!" Her excitement and enthusiasm was nothing like Weiss had ever seen before. "God, I'm so excited!"

"I knew you would be."

"Hey, you two! Breakfast is ready!" Yang placed two plates of waffles in front of them. "All on the house in honor of the birthday girl!"

"Aw, thanks Yang!"

"Not a problem, Rubes! And Pyrrha, Ren, Nora and I will be joining you in the truck!"

"You guys too? But don't you have work?"

Yang waved it off with a bright smile. "Pyrrha's putting someone else in charge, we've had others fill in for us today. Now just enjoy your breakfast!"

* * *

With breakfast finished, Weiss drove Ruby and her sister - and her three coworkers - to the paintball shop. Yang complained about Ruby's pop station, Pyrrha and Nora defended the younger woman by singing along, and Ren was silent. Weiss pulled into the parking lot of the shop, right next to Sun's white truck. Sun was sitting on the hood, waving at the bunch with Jaune and Neptune leaning against the side.

As soon as Ruby got out of Weiss's car, she gave the three boys a huge hug. When she pulled away, she crossed her arms and smirked. "Trying to look cool for me by leaning against the truck like badasses?"

Jaune chuckled. "Well, sort of. Sun wouldn't let us sit on the hood or the back yet, so we resorted to the side."

"Ha ha ha," Ruby laughed. "You guys are such losers. The greatest losers around."

"We couldn't be the greatest without the leader of the losers, could we?" Neptune shook his head and laughed with her. "It's good to see you again, Ruby. Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Neptune."

Sun and Jaune both wished her right after Neptune did, seeming to forget the reason of them being there.

Yang got out of the vehicle with Weiss and the rest, immediately wondering where her girlfriend was. "Where's Blake? She was supposed to be here with you guys, right?"

Both of the blonde men nodded, Sun answering before Jaune could. "She's just inside with Velvet and Coco."

The two siblings went inside to greet them, though Yang went mainly for Blake.

"You guys came too?" Ruby gave both of the brunettes a hug after embracing Blake.

Coco nodded and smiled. "Weiss invited us. Well, I'm technically still on call for her today, but she still let me come."

"Thanks for coming."

"Of course," Velvet spoke. "Happy birthday, Ruby."

Minutes later, luggage was shoved and secured onto the top rack of the truck bed, everybody clambered into the bed, and Sun turned on the ignition. Sun was sure to open the back window and blast Ruby's favorite pop station, everyone singing along as they went down the roads. Yang and Nora nearly fell out as they both attempted to stand and spar each other at a red light. Definitely not the brightest idea, and thank goodness nobody died or was injured for the entire trip. It wasn't that long of a drive, about 45 minutes to an hour before they reached their destination.

"No freaking way." Ruby couldn't help but stare in awe of the shoreline they passed by before making their way to the beach entrance. "Is this The Eagle Point?"

Weiss nodded her head with a smile. "The one and only. And we'll be staying for the entire weekend."

If there were any walls around, Ruby would be bouncing around hard enough to break them. Blake giggled as she tapped Ruby's shoulder, which quickly earned the girl's attention. "Yang and I will be staying the weekend with you two."

Hearing that gave her all the more reason to be exuberant. Weiss grasped her girlfriend's shoulders tightly and pulled her close. "We should probably stop giving her more reasons to explode."

Yang laughed heartily. "You could drop her from a plane and she'd be able to wipe out all of Remnant, probably."

"That's not right," Ren spoke out. "You're talking about Nora, not Ruby. Ruby could only take out Mistral at the most."

"Good point," Yang agreed.

Sun stopped in a secluded area near the two houses Weiss rented. He turned down the radio and slapped the side of his truck to get the occupants' attention. "Alright, all of y'all get your asses out of my truck! We're here!"

The first ones to not-so-gracefully fall out of the truck were Nora and Ruby, who started racing each other in the sand while the others carefully climbed out. Sun and Yang helped Weiss and Blake bring down the luggage from the top, bringing the two large bags to the houses. While those four brought the luggage to their weekend homes, Ren, Jaune, and Pyrrha unpacked the rest of the things above the rack. They had brought a grill top, enough charcoal and firewood to last a whole week, a volleyball set, and your typical beach ball.

Among those things were Ren's cooking supplies. He was prepared to cook up an entire feast for tonight. Jaune and Pyrrha would help him later on, and Nora would most likely be swatted away at least two dozen times before noon.

"Ruby! Come inside and get changed if you want to swim!" Weiss called from the porch. "You need to put on sunscreen!"

Just as a dog would, Ruby came running to Weiss eagerly with a bright smile. "Will you put the sunscreen on me?"

The blush on Weiss's cheeks could not have been any more obvious. "O-Only if you return the favor."

"Done deal! Lemme get changed real quick!" Before Ruby had the chance to dash for anywhere to change, she realized she needed to know where the luggage was. "Umm, Weiss? Where's, um...where's our stuff?"

"The bedroom is upstairs, our luggage is by the bed." Weiss pointed up the stairs, Ruby's gaze following the direction.

"Okay, thanks!" The young woman took this chance to admire how cool this place looked. It had a simple look to it, but it felt so homey and...beach-y. White walls with the occasional beach photo, modern-looking lights and staircase, high hardwood ceilings, white tiled floors, the features go on. And the best part - the best part _had_ to be the fantastic view of the beach. The porch entrance was surrounded by glass panes that revealed the magnificent display of the beach.

And to think that Weiss rented _two_ of these houses for the _entire_ weekend. All for her. All because a crazy, wild, reckless paintballer with no other achievement or title to her name turned 21. And just as Ruby, with swimsuit in hand, ended up in their bathroom, she could only stare at herself in the mirror.

Weiss did all of this - spent an unthinkable amount of money, gathered up all of her friends and loved ones in the area that she knew of, and forced a messy blonde to scrub his truck devoid of germs - for Ruby. Was she really worth that much?

No, that can't be possible. Ruby was nothing more than a paintballer that worked full at a paintball shop with nothing more than a few plastic trophies, some medals, and a useless art degree. She didn't deserve someone like Weiss.

She was worth nothing more than the mud she slipped on in the forest. Weiss was such an accomplished woman, being the CEO of the leading company of the entire world at 23! Ruby couldn't possibly repay Weiss for this. Weiss was worth more than her own life.

"Ruby? You alright up there?"

It wasn't until she heard Weiss's voice that she noticed tears running down her cheeks. She heard footsteps. Weiss was coming upstairs.

"Ruby, are you alri—" Weiss immediately noticed the tears and wasted no time in engulfing her girlfriend in a warm embrace. "What's the matter?"

Ruby didn't speak. She couldn't speak. She was in complete debt.

"What's the matter, Ruby?" Weiss gripped tighter. "Did someone say something? Did Coco do something? Is it..."

Shit. Anything but that. She's—

"Is it something I did?"

Blaming herself.

"Weiss, why?" Ruby sniffled, refusing to look Weiss in the eye.

"Why what?"

"Why me? I can't give you anything you could already get for yourself at no cost, I'm a lousy paintballer with no actual career, and I'm most definitely not worth two beach houses for a weekend."

In that moment, Weiss did the only thing she could think of and wrapped her arms around the taller woman's neck, pressing her own lips onto her partner's. She was slow and tender with each kiss, murmuring quiet words of kindness in between each one. Ruby couldn't help but break down and cry, and Weiss was sure to be with her all the way through.

It made sense to Weiss why Ruby would think this way. If she were to put herself in Ruby's shoes, dating the CEO of the world's leading company can be pretty intimidating. She could already feel stress just by thinking about how she was making Ruby feel.

So to put her girlfriend at ease, she said the three words that meant nothing but the absolute truth.

"I love you."

As quiet as it was, it was louder and clearer than anything Ruby had ever heard.

"I love you, Ruby. I love you."

Weiss could feel Ruby's grip tighten around her waist, and she adjusted to bring Ruby as close as possible. She could hear her slowing heartbeat, her breathing settling, and the quiet whimpers that refused to make themselves known.

"It's okay to cry, Ruby. I'm here." Weiss cooed, stroking Ruby's back gently.

The floodgates broke wide open, and Ruby was nothing but a sobbing mess on Weiss's shoulder. And Weiss did her best to support the younger girl and help her through this.

"I-I love you too, Weiss," Ruby finally let out. "I really love you."

"And I really love you too." Weiss smiled and wiped Ruby's tears away. "Don't think you're not enough for me. You're everything I could ever want and more. I love you, Ruby, and I really want you to know that. I mean it."

"Th-Thank y-you, Weiss," Ruby stuttered, her breath hitching every so often due to her outburst of sobs.

"Of course. Now then, would you like to go swim now? I can get you a glass of water while you change, then I can rub the sunscreen on you if you still want me to."

The brunette nodded and gave a small smile. "That'd b-be nice."

As Weiss turned to leave, Ruby looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She was a mess, her eyes were red, her ponytail was super loose, and yet Weiss still loved her for all of it. Weiss _loved_ her. She didn't care about her titles, her slightly lower-than-average income, or even the fact that she never ate her vegetables.

"Well, the last one might be a bit of a stretch," she mumbled to herself.

But the point was that Weiss didn't care if she was rich or poor, muddy or spotless, or even famous or not. She loved her, and Ruby loved her back.

After changing into the swimsuit, Ruby washed her face and redid her ponytail. Weiss came in moments later with a glass of water, grabbing her own swimsuit shortly after.

"Are you feeling better, Ruby?"

Ruby nodded and smiled, pressing a quick kiss to Weiss's cheek in response. "Thank you, Weiss."

"No need. Now allow me to get changed and then we can get started."

Weiss was struggling to keep her cool. Ruby was just way too distracting. It took every nerve in her entire body to keep her from tearing that bikini right off of her girlfriend.

Thankfully she managed. The most challenging part was the sunscreen.

The day went on with games and races, Ruby and Yang wrestling Nora and Jaune in the water, Pyrrha and Ren cooking away, and Weiss sitting under a beach umbrella with Neptune and Blake. Sun was out with Coco and Velvet to retrieve a few ingredients Ren had not been able to bring on the trip.

"C'mon, five out of six? Rubes and I got plenty of energy to spare, we should bump it up to nine out of ten!" Yang declared as she carried Ruby on her shoulders.

Nora smirked, lightning surging in her eyes. "You're on!"

"Nora, please be sensible!"

"I am! And I believe the wisest action is to take on their challenge and beat them!"

Jaune shrugged and allowed the ginger onto his shoulders. "Okay."

Needless to say, the challenge resulted with Ruby and Yang being the victors with a close score of 5-4.

Yang set her sister down and came up with a devious plan. "Hey Rubes, wanna gawk at our amazing girlfriends and convince them to come into the water with us?"

"Ooh, are we gonna use the secret weapon?"

"You know it."

"Are you sure it'll work this time?"

"We've got our abs out, there's no way it won't."

Ruby's silver eyes lit up with excitement. "Let's do it!"

The two sisters walked up to their partners beneath the umbrella with stupid-looking grins on their faces. Yang nearly broke character before speaking in a ridiculously low and 'manly' voice. "It's real hot out here, wouldn't you say, Sis?"

The brunette did her best to imitate her sister's tone. "Yeap, it's really blazing out here."

Weiss arched an eyebrow in amusement. "What're you two playing at?"

"It sure is a great thing we're at the beach, ey? With all the water and stuff?" Yang nudged her sister who had forgotten her cue.

"Oh! Oh, yeah, totally! Ya know," Ruby smirked and waggled her eyebrows at the two ladies sitting down, "it'd be real nice if two lovely and gorgeous young ladies could join us."

Blake looked at Weiss and crossed her arms with a sly smile. "Hmm, I wonder where you could possibly find two ladies that fit your description."

"I don't think I have to walk that far," Yang grinned as she winked at her girlfriend.

"Hey Sis, look at what time it is! I believe it's time to show off some guns," Ruby said as she started flexing her arms.

Yang was quick to join in and play along. "Oh, right you are, Sis!"

The two dolts flexed and posed in positions that best exhibited their muscles. They could tell it was working on their girlfriends. Weiss was trying to avoid eye contact with Ruby's body, but failed miserably while Blake just took it all in.

"And now for the final move!" The red and yellow duo posed in such a way that showed off their entire bodies, exclaiming: "Double stud sister attack!"

It was super effective! Both Weiss and Blake were now practically brain-dead as small trickles of blood flowed from their noses.

"We did it!" They both exclaimed as they high-fived each other. Then they both picked up their respective girlfriends and started bringing them to the water.

"Let's go swim!" Ruby shouted, sprinting towards the ocean with Weiss in her arms.

Weiss started squirming in Ruby's arms. "Ruby Rose, you put me down this instant!"

Ruby grinned, for she had reached the water. "If you insist!"

* * *

The sun had done down, a bonfire was started, and the real party began. Apparently Sun had the great idea to purchase tiki torches while grocery shopping for Ren. When he brought them out and lit them, they actually looked really nice and added to the beach-y atmosphere. When Ren said he would prepare a feast, he sure as hell prepared a feast. And a fine feast it was, the main course featuring a whole roast pig. Just when they thought they couldn't get any more stuffed, Yang brought out her giant cookie cake with 21 candles. Ruby and Nora were the only ones who were able to finish their portion of cookie, everyone else being too bloated and full to even manage a crumb. There was no doubt that the giant cookie cake was good, but a huge amount still remained.

Over the next couple of hours, Yang brought out champagne and wine, Sun brought beer, and Nora had vodka. The majority of them were sober or drunk, and that definitely made for a great spectacle. Yang got completely wasted and tried to bend fire while skinny dipping, Nora blacked out, Sun was laughing for no reason at all, and Neptune forgot he was gay and tried flirting with Pyrrha. Coco tried the hardest she could to resist drinking, she and Velvet both had work tomorrow. They ended up leaving early for that same reason.

"It would most definitely not be safe to have Sun drive us back. Pyrrha, Jaune, do you two think you could help get these three into the truck?" Ren asked, already starting with Nora on his back. "I can drive us back, I've had nothing to drink at all tonight."

"Good idea, Ren," Jaune said, struggling to carry Sun alone.

"Hey, let me help out," Ruby offered, picking up the blonde's feet.

Weiss trotted over to help Ren clean up. "Are you going to be okay driving back? Will Nora be okay?"

Ren nodded and gave a small smile. "She'll be fine, she just needs to be in bed. And I'll be alright. I have Pyrrha and Jaune should I need any help, but thank you, Weiss. And thank you for inviting us. This has been very fun and relaxing."

"Do I need to pay you anything? You did just cook an entire feast to feed at least ten families."

"No need, I enjoy cooking quite a bit." Ren looked to Ruby who was help Jaune set the drunk blonde in the back of the truck. "Besides, I'd do anything for a friend. Have a good night, Weiss."

"You too, Ren." Weiss smiled as the raven-haired cook walked off.

Ruby jogged up to Weiss and sighed as she rested her chin on the shorter woman's shoulder. They both watched as the truck drove away in the distance while to bonfire died down. The tiki torches were put out, and the only artificial light came from within the houses behind them. Footprints were sprawled out in the sand, just as the stars were in the dark sky.

"This had to be the best birthday ever."

Weiss looked up at Ruby, noticing how different she was compared to a few hours ago. She was relaxed, calm, and happy. "I'm glad, Ruby."

"And Weiss, um," Ruby scratched the back of her head, leaning on the railing of the front porch. "I'm really sorry about earlier. It was kinda dumb of me to act that way, and I guess I just thought about this relationship too much. Like, I have no idea if we're moving too fast or something, I've never been in one before. All I know is that I really like you and I want to stay with you for as long possible."

"Don't be sorry, Ruby. I think we're moving at a reasonable rate, and any choices we make together feel more natural than anything else. I don't know what our future will hold, but staying with you seems like the only thing I can imagine." Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby's waist and pulled her closer.

"Wanna go inside now?"

"That would be very much appreciated considering that my skin is _very_ itchy from the saltwater you dunked me in."

Ruby giggled as she led her girlfriend inside. "You're welcome for that."

Once the two were inside, they immediately jumped into the shower to wash all of the saltwater from their bodies. As they washed their bodies, a few kisses were exchanged as well as the occasional pinch to the side which caused Weiss to squeak each time. The couple then dried off and got to bed, basking in each other's presence in the dark.

"Ruby, do you want to do it tonight or are you tired?"

"Is it okay if it waits until morning?" Ruby tittered. "I didn't realize how active we've been today until now. I'm, like, super sleepy now."

Weiss kissed Ruby's forehead and nodded. "I'll admit that I'm pretty spent today as well."

"So we'll call it a night then, huh?"

"If that's what you wish."

Ruby moved her head forward and kissed Weiss's lips, holding them there for at least a good few seconds before reaching for Weiss's hair to pull in for another. Weiss reciprocated quickly and wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck, moaning quietly when Ruby moved down to her neck. And then...

She stopped. She stayed there, her head resting in the nook of Weiss's neck.

"Is something wrong, Ruby?"

She shook her head, her arms wrapping around her girlfriend's waist. "No, nothing's wrong. I just love you so much. Thank you, Weiss."

"It's nothing, really. And I love you so much too. Happy birthday, Ruby."

Ruby smiled as she close her eyes.

"Goodnight, Weiss."

"Goodnight, Ruby."

* * *

**Helloooooo again! Another chapter just you, my valued readers! Please do leave a review if you have something to share, I love reading all of your comments, and I'd love to know how I'm doing and if there's anything you would like to see!**

**Also thank you all so much for over a little over 100 followers within the first 5 chapters! I'm glad so many people enjoy this story as much as I love writing it!**

**fun fact: i forgot what a party horn was so i looked up 'the party thing that goes dooooooooo' and got my result. the height of technology, ladies and gentlemen.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Reviews and thoughts are always appreciated!**


	7. Chapter 7

For about two weeks since Ruby's birthday, Weiss had started coming over every night. She practically lived in Ruby's apartment now, spending much more time in her girlfriend's loft than her own abode. It was much more homey and lively in the loft with a dog when compared to her plain white hotel room.

Not that Weiss actually lived in a hotel, but considering how tidy and spotless the place was, it might as well be.

With a sigh, Weiss closed the laptop in her lap, setting it down on the coffee table in front of her. "Ruby..."

The woman beside her turned and hummed, allowing Weiss to get comfortable in her arms. "Something on your mind?"

"If it's alright with you, I think I'm going to take Thursday off."

"Um, yeah! Yeah, that's fine with me," Ruby chuckled. "Why...why're you asking?"

Weiss kissed Ruby quickly on the lips, settling in the nook of her neck. "I think I'm ready to officially move in with you."

If Weiss expected anything from the other woman, she expected some sort of explosion of excitement or maybe a mouth opened wide. She didn't expect her to be quiet for once.

It had been long enough before Weiss thought to attempt at breaking Ruby from her silence - until Ruby blinked and opened her mouth to speak.

"You're really sure about this?"

The businesswoman crossed her arms, only wondering why Ruby would question her decision. "Do you not want me to?"

"N-No! It's not that at all, it's just..." Ruby went quiet again, twiddling her fingers below.

"What's the matter?"

"...embarrassed...my closet..."

A white eyebrow arched. "I've seen your closet, what's wrong with it?"

Ruby sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I have another closet - a much bigger closet - that I use for storage, and it's completely packed with a bunch of useless junk. I need to clean it out, I don't want to clean it out, and there's a bunch of stuff in there that I'd rather not revisit."

"Would you like me to clean it out for you?"

"I'd honestly rather you not? I can clean it tomorrow while you're at work."

Weiss frowned. "Have I given you any reason not to trust me?"

"What?" Ruby shifted into a more upright position. "Of course not, I completely trust you."

"Then why..." She didn't quite understand what Ruby could possibly be hiding. "Why don't you seem to?"

"It's just...I dunno," Ruby scratched the back of her head, her eyes looking anywhere but Weiss. "There are things in there about myself that I don't really want you seeing."

Was she self-conscious about something? Did something happen to her? Did she do something?

"Ruby," Weiss cooed, "you know that no matter what it is, I will never think differently of you."

"Look, Weiss," the younger woman sighed and placed her hands on Weiss's shoulders. "I love you very much, and I trust you with my life, but in that closet lies the memories of things I don't want to see again. I don't want to bring you into that, so I'd prefer it if you don't see what's in there."

"I..." She stopped to think. Ruby really didn't want Weiss to see any of it, and as curious as she was, she had to respect her girlfriend's privacy. If Ruby would be ready to tell her, that would be in it's own time. But for now, she would be as supportive as she could for her partner just as Ruby had been for her. "I understand."

The smile returned to Ruby's face. "Thank you, Weiss."

"Of course," Weiss said, gently pecking her girlfriend's forehead.

The next day, Weiss went off to work while Ruby got down to the nitty-gritty. She let out a long groan as she stretched her back and popped her neck. With Zwei at her side, Ruby steeled her mind for what was about to come.

"You ready for this, Zwei?" Ruby looked down at her dog, who stared back at her.

Zwei whined and sneezed.

"Yeah, me neither. But," the brunette let out a long breath, "this is for Weiss. So let's get started."

She placed her hand on the knob and turned, slowly opening the door to reveal all that was inside. Upon opening the door, she also allowed everything that was inside to fall out and make her realize that she needed help.

Ruby pulled out her scroll and resorted to Yang. "Please pick up, please pick up, you'd better pick up..."

_"Rubes, what's up?"_

"Yang, I need your help right now."

_"What? What for? Is something wrong?"_

"Yes, something is wrong. Weiss wants to move in and I need to clean out the closet pronto."

_"Closet? Which closet? Wait...do you mean..?"_

The paintballer groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, that one! I need your help now, get your ass over here."

_"Alright, okay, I'm on my way. I'll be there in a few."_ Before she hung up, Yang spoke one more time. _"Hey, Rubes? I know you hate seeing those pictures and stuff, but Weiss is probably going to know eventually. I mean, you both are going to live together. There's no more privacy between you two, ya know? And she won't judge you, I'm positive of it. Just relax, Sis."_

Ruby sighed. "I'll try, Yang. I'll try."

With that said, Ruby hung up and immediately got to work. She started by taking the things that fell on the floor, going through each scrap and doohickey to evaluate which was needed and which belonged in the garbage. The majority of the things she picked up went to the trash. She was somewhat surprised when she found many canisters of old paintballs - none of which were usable - and at least four messy palettes with dried up paints. To say that the closet stank would be a complete understatement. Ruby wouldn't be surprised if something died in there.

At long last, Yang arrived with two pairs of rubber gloves and a crap ton of folded boxes. "Alright, asshole, I had to leave Nora at the karaoke booth thanks to you. Let's get this over with, shall we?"

"Hey, hey, hey, watch your mouth, Big Tits." Ruby helped Yang unfold the boxes and restore them to their original state. "What're the gloves for?"

"This is _your_ closet, Ruby. I wouldn't be surprised if even the roaches died because of all the rat shit and toxic fumes from your paints. I bet there are birds in there that feast on a corpse." Yang crossed her arms. "I ain't touching none of that with my bare hands."

"No," Ruby shook her head, "you're talking about Sun's apartment. That dump is dirtier than your ass. My closet is immaculate compared to his dump."

"Hey now, don't get cocky. Are we gonna get this done or make fun of each other's tits? I've got some stuff to do today, and I am _not_ spending the rest of my day cleaning out your roach graveyard."

"We can do both. Let's go. And be sure to hold your breath in there." Ruby tied up her hair and prepared herself for battle. "We may or may not come out alive."

* * *

"Weiss? Hey, c'mon! Weiss?"

Within a few snaps, Weiss was brought back to reality. She's been distracted all day, only thinking about Ruby's words. She was pained, Weiss could tell. Something in that closet is hurting her somehow, and Weiss wanted to be there for her. She _needed_ to be there.

"Hey, Weiss, c'mon now. If you really want Thursday off, these charts and reports need to be reviewed. I'll sort them out for you once you finish." Coco set down a considerably sizable stack of papers on Weiss's desk. "We're hauling ass this week and really need to step it up."

"Coco," Weiss murmured, "something's not right."

"Yeah, I know. You're not reviewing the papers, that's definitely not right!"

Weiss grimaced and raised her voice. "Coco, I'm serious!"

The brunette was left in shock at her boss's sudden outburst. Something definitely wasn't right with her, and now it was time to be her therapist. She sat down in the chair in front of Weiss's desk and cleared her work mindset. "Weiss, are you okay? You've been off since this morning, and I honestly thought you'd get over it by now, but you clearly haven't. Did something happen?"

The CEO sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ruby's hurting. She's cleaning out her closet so I can move in some of my belongings, but it pains her to even mention the closet. Something's in there that's causing her pain or some sort of trigger, I'm not sure, but one thing I can confirm about Ruby is that she _hates_ sharing her pain with anyone. She won't tell me anything about it, and I'm really worried that she's not thinking right. She can do really stupid things if she's not in the right mindset. Coco, I'm really worried about her."

"I get what you're saying. Velvet can be that way too. It's technically lunch break right now, maybe it wouldn't hurt to pop by and check on her?"

With coat in hand, Weiss rushed to the door of her office. "I'll be back."

"You'd better hurry! These papers need to be approved by four!"

She ran. She sprinted. She breathlessly dashed to her car and drove back to the apartment to check on Ruby. Keys were pulled out faster than Ruby could say "Weiss." The door was unlocked. Weiss quickly opened the door and found Yang sitting on the hardwood floor with a few picture frames scattered around her.

"Woah there, do you need some water?"

Weiss panted heavily and shook her head, walking towards Yang as she did. "Where's...Ruby...why are you here?"

"Ruby went out to grab some lunch. She asked me to help her clean."

She asked Yang and not Weiss? It made sense because they were family, but Ruby made it seem like _nobody_ under any circumstance could see what was in that room.

"Sh-she wouldn't let me help her..."

"Yeah, she told me about that. It's nothing against you, Weiss, really." Yang patted the ground beside her and gestured Weiss to sit. "Ruby loves you more than anything. Hell, I reckon she would freaking _die_ for you."

"So then why?"

Yang held up one of the frames sitting in front of her. It was a picture of a smaller Yang, a tall blonde man, and woman that looked exactly like Ruby, and a very small girl with the same hair as the woman. Yang pointed to the smallest girl that looked like Ruby. "You see this girl? This skinny, cheery duplicate of her mother?"

"Is that..?"

"The very same girl you know and love." Yang nodded with a smile. "That's Ruby."

The blonde woman picked up another picture. This time, the woman that looked like Ruby was no longer there. The little version of Ruby was rounder compared to the previous photo, almost to the point of no recognition. The only familiar feature was the signature red-tipped hair.

"Is that still Ruby?"

With a nod, Yang sighed. "Ruby's mom died when she was still young. Back then, Dad had a tough time pulling himself together for us. I would always take care of Ruby while he was busy teaching with our uncle. It was then that Ruby started to eat. And when I say she started to eat, she became a fucking black hole. Dad couldn't control things as best as he used to, and Mom always said to finish whatever was on our plates. I knew how much I should've been eating and how to control myself, but Ruby was still young. She still listened to Mom. And I guess it helped her cope. Ruby started to get obese, and paintball wasn't really doing much to help her then. It wasn't until her sophomore year of high school that she started to change."

"What happened?"

Yang shrugged. "I have no idea. All of a sudden, she started to eat less, joined track and cross country, and continued paintball. I really wish I knew what happened that started to change her, but I really have no clue. She started to get much better, her roundness went way down, and before I knew it, she was fitter than I was. Doc said her metabolism went back to normal, which was fast as hell as you might've know."

Weiss felt her heart lighten up a bit. "I think I understand why she would rather me not know about this."

"Yeah. And again, Weiss," Yang patted the silverette's shoulder and smiled, "Ruby really loves you. I really wanted to believe that she could tell you this story on her own, but it still messes her up a bit, ya know? Losing Mom wasn't easy for any of us, especially her. And having to see these reminders of how unstable she became probably hurts her. You know how she doesn't want anyone to hurt because she's hurting. But I always tell her that if there isn't something hard in the way, then it isn't a growing moment."

"Goddammit, Yang, I was going to tell her eventually..."

Both girls whipped their heads around to find Ruby sitting at the island in the kitchenette.

Icy blue eyes met silver, and Weiss stood up immediately. "Ruby..."

"I'm really sorry, Weiss."

Weiss shook her head and quickly ran for her partner, engulfing her in a warm embrace. "Don't be sorry. Don't ever be sorry about any of that."

Ruby sighed and rubbed Weiss's back, gently pulling away so she could see both Yang and Weiss. "The reason I suddenly turned around was because I found out I was attracted to girls. I realized that if I lived healthier, then maybe people would start to like me and value me. Maybe I would start to like myself."

"I thought you enjoyed eating all that crap. You really didn't?" Yang crossed her arms as an eyebrow arched.

"You thought I did? I ate because Mom always said to. I continued to listen to her even though she was gone. She was really all I had to look up to." Ruby ran her fingers through her hair and let out a breath through her nose. "No offense to you and Dad, but you are my half-sister. Dad may be my father, but I'm nothing like him. Dad didn't even want me to have his name. I was too much like Mom. But I wasn't Mom, was I?"

"Ruby—"

"I'm not done, Yang. I'm over it all, I'm over the drama, and I'm honestly glad I shaped up. There was no way I would've survived Cardin with the way I was."

Weiss held Ruby's hands and gave a gentle squeeze. "If you're over it, then why eould you hesitate to tell me?"

"I didn't like myself back then. I didn't want you to see how awful I was before." The brunette sighed and locked eyes with her partner with a smile. "But a wise woman once said that if there isn't something hard in the way, then it isn't a growing moment."

A strong pair of arms wrapped around the couple in a tight embrace. "Proud of you, Rubes. I'm sure your mom would be too."

"Thanks, Yang."

The three pulled apart from the hug and exchanged glances. Weiss grabbed her coat and prepared herself to leave. "I suppose I'll be leaving now."

"Wait, Weiss, why did you come in the first place? I thought you were working," Ruby said.

"I..." The CEO looked away with a blush, hoping neither of the siblings could see it. "...I got worried about you..."

She looked up for one second to see Ruby and immediately regretted it. Her girlfriend had the biggest smirk on her face, her eyes saying she was ready to pounce. And God did she pounce. She leaped and closed the two foot gap between herself and her partner in the matter of milliseconds, nearly toppling over Weiss. "Gahhhhh! Weiss, you are just too cute!"

"I was legitimately worried about you, you dolt!" Weiss huffed and crossed her arms, refusing to look Ruby in the eyes.

"Alright you two, that's enough. You got work to do, Weiss, and so do we." Yang rolled her eyes with an exasperated smile. "Let's get you moved in, shall we?"

* * *

It was Thursday night. Weiss was almost completely moved in with Ruby. All that remained were a couple of boxes filled with miscellaneous galore. Ruby helped Weiss move them into the closet, which was nearly empty by the time Yang and Ruby finished cleaning.

"Aaaaaaaaaand done! I think that's the last one!" Ruby collapsed onto the couch with a relieved sigh.

Weiss sat down beside her and giggled at the sight of her exhausted girlfriend. "Thank you for everything, Ruby. I really appreciate you and I love you."

Ruby used the last of her energy to pull Weiss down for a kiss. "Aww, it's no big deal. I love you too, Princess."

In the moment of silence they had, Ruby and Weiss snuggled together on their couch as they watched the sky transition from pink and orange to dark navy blues.

"Hey Weiss, are you busy next week?"

A white eyebrow arched as Weiss turned to face Ruby. "My answer won't matter, will it?"

"Not really, no."

Weiss tittered and sighed. "Alright, what do you have planned?"

"Well, I just want to return the favor for what you did on my birthday. I teamed up with Sun and Yang, and we've got an amazing surprise planned for all of next week. So I'm just wondering," Ruby's lips pursed as she ran her fingers through silver strands, "are you going to be busy?"

"I won't be too busy. The seasonal change is starting to pass and we usually have a lot of downtime this time of year."

"Awesome! We're gonna have so much fun!" Ruby's contagious smile spread to Weiss.

"What's your plan?"

The paintballer shook her head. "I ain't gonna tell you where, but I'm just gonna say that Sun, Yang, and I have been saving for this trip since February. I had to save a little extra for you," Ruby said as she 'booped' Weiss's nose.

"What about Zwei?"

"Zwei's gonna stay with Uncle Qrow for the week."

"Is anyone else coming?"

"Yup! Sun's bringing Neptune and covering expenses for Jaune and Pyrrha, Yang's bringing Blake and covering for Nora, and I get to pay for both you and Ren as well as myself."

"That's a lot to cover. Are you sure you don't need help?" Weiss cupped Ruby's face with her cold hands. "I can pay for anything if you want me to."

"Nah, it's fine. I said I've been saving since February, and I gotta spoil my princess somehow. Plus," Ruby gently grabbed one of Weiss's hands that held her face, "I'm only paying for plane tickets and entrance fees. We all agreed that we would all pay for our own hotel rooms and train tickets."

"Plane and train tickets? Entrance fees?" The businesswoman smirked with a white eyebrow arching. "Oh Ruby Rose, I can only wonder where we might be going to."

"Just keep wondering, Weiss-y. You'll find out soon enough." With a loud yawn, Ruby picked up her girlfriend in a bridal hold. "I'm super tired from unpacking all your boxes. Wanna sleep now?"

"That sounds nice, yes."

"As you wish, your Highness."

* * *

Sunday morning at fan-freaking-tastic five. Everybody was gathered up in Ruby and Weiss's apartment with suitcases and luggage filled with everything they need for the next week.

Ruby clapped her hands together, alerting those in the room. "Good morning everyone! I'm sure the majority of you have no idea why you're here or where we're going!"

Jaune raised his hand tiredly. "Ruby, where are we going?"

"Glad you asked! Pack your asses up, y'all, because we're going to Atlas!"

Faces of surprise and excitement flashed about the room, including Weiss.

Yang sighed. "Not exactly Atlas. We're going to Argus for the paintball convention and to play paintball in the snow."

Sun yawned and nodded in agreement. "Yup, and the plane boarding is at eight on the dot, so we should get going now."

"Hope you all brought your paintball gear!" Ruby chirped.

"How could we forget?" Nora grumbled. "You mentioned it a bazillion times in the email."

Ren quietly scolded Nora for her behavior, which was quickly excused by Ruby since it was very early in the morning.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road! Ruby, help me and Sun load the bags on the rack." Yang was already making her way to the door with heaps of luggage in her arms, mainly to flex hard on Sun and impress Blake.

When all was packed, Sun drove the group to the airport within no time at all. Traffic was completely clear, which made for one smooth trip. The group sitting in the truck bed watched the sun come up as the warm summer breeze hit their skin. Ruby felt relaxed with Weiss cuddled up close to her. Just as Ruby and Weiss were together, the other three couples were as well. Blake was letting the breeze flow through her hair while Yang snoozed on her lap, Jaune and Pyrrha were watching something on the blonde's scroll, and Ren was ensuring Nora's safety as she stuck her head out in the wind like a dog.

"Hey, you guys brought stuff to keep warm, right?" Ruby suddenly asked, looking up from her scroll filled with schedules. "I don't remember if I mentioned it in the email."

Blake nodded and tittered. "Yang told me about Atlas long before you sent the emails."

Jaune and Pyrrha both nodded as well. "Sun told us to bring winter clothing."

"What about you, Ren?" Ruby turned towards the raven-haired chef.

Ren nodded in response just as the others had. "Yang told me as well."

"Damn her," the brunette hissed as she glared at her sleeping sister. "Always spoiling everything. I'll get her back with the next Spruce Willis movie."

As they neared the airport, Neptune opened the back window and announced it to the group of eight. They all shaped up and got ready, including Yang, who woke up with hair in her mouth.

Once inside the building, the group of paintballers checked their bags in, received their tickets, and went straight to security. The line was rather short, considering how early it was in the morning. After they passed security, they went to search for their gate.

"Does anyone see B6?" Ruby called out as she looked around frantically.

Pyrrha stopped and pointed in the direction of the gate. "Over there!"

With carry-on luggage in hand or slung across the back, the group made their way to gate and set their belongings down.

Ruby clapped her hands together with a plan formulated. "Alrighty, now then! Since I'm pretty sure we all need some coffee, Weiss and I will be in charge of that. Yang and Sun, could you two get us all some food?"

"Aye aye, Rubster," Sun saluted. He and Yang went off in search of nutrition while Ruby and Weiss went to find a coffee shop.

"Hmm, where can we find a...coffee..." Ruby's vowels were prolonged as she was deep in thought.

Beside her, Weiss tapped on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby, I found a Vale's Finest."

"Ooh, really? Problem solved!" The two proceeded towards the coffee shop with hand in hand. When they arrived, they were greeted with a long line of at least 12 people. Ruby sighed as she hung her head low. "This might take a while."

"We have over an hour before we start boarding, and because it's just the two of us, I don't mind waiting." Weiss looked up to meet silver eyes, smiling as she gently gave Ruby's hand a squeeze.

"Yeah, you're right." Ruby wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and ran her fingers through alabaster locks, breathing in her Weiss-y scent. "You're absolutely right, Weiss. I'm so glad I have you."

"As am I, Ruby."

By the time they were able to order, Ruby had nearly forgotten the reason they were there in the first place. Weiss jabbed her elbow - not too hard - and started with her own order. Ruby took the rest from there and ordered everybody else's usual desired orders. The amount of time it took for their orders to finish nearly equated the amount of time they spent waiting in line, which was nearly 20 minutes. Yang and Sun had probably brought back food by now. But all was said and done, and now, with three beverage trays in arms, Ruby and Weiss made their way back.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Weiss wasn't sure if Ruby could handle holding all ten drinks in the current way she was. If one of them fell, all of them would come down with it. "At least give me a few."

Ruby grunted before answering, trying to readjust her positioning. "No way, I totally got this. We're almost there!"

When they returned, the group cheered as Ruby handed warm and cold beverages out to each of them. All the beverages were handed out, and as soon as Ruby was given a sandwich from Yang, she plopped down in the seat next to Weiss.

Weiss couldn't help but smile at the happiness her partner was radiating. Despite how tired and exhausted she must be from saving and planning, Weiss could tell that she was truly happy and excited.

She suddenly felt a hand rest on top of hers, their fingers intertwining gently. She looked to Ruby, who had a big smile as always.

"Are you excited?"

The CEO tittered. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't."

"You said you grew up in Atlas, right?"

"That's correct, yes."

Ruby sat up in her seat to a more natural position. "Do you have any family you'd like to visit? I could totally make the time for it this week if you want."

"I..." There was her stepfather. He used to be such a good man. But Ruby would be better of not knowing him at all. It'd be far safer that way.

Her stepfather had become far too unstable. Weiss wouldn't be surprised if he drank himself half blind.

"I don't have any family in Atlas except for Winter, but her branch of the company is in the middle of their seasonal shift while our's had just ended."

"So she'll be super busy, huh?"

Weiss nodded and placed a kiss on Ruby's forehead. "Don't worry, you'll get to meet her soon enough."

Ruby smiled, leaning her head on Weiss's shoulder. "I sure hope so."

At long last, boarding finally began, and the paintballer group's boarding class was called up to enter the plane. Before they got in line, Ruby gathered them all together and got their attention with the clap of her hands.

"Ladies and gents, we have a whooping seven-hour flight ahead of us, so anything and everything you need should be taken out now before it goes in the overhead bins."

Just as she had spoken, many of them took out the necessities such as earbuds, chargers, neck pillows, and sleeping masks.

"Alright! Now let's get ourselves to Atlas!"

Ruby was truly one of a kind. Weiss couldn't believe her leadership skills. Not only was she a leader on the battlefield, but a leader in life. Ruby was a leader in every situation, whether it was big or small, significant or insignificant. She was a born leader, and Weiss couldn't be any more proud of her girlfriend.

They all took their seats, which was three per row. The seating arrangement went as follows: window seats were Neptune and Yang; middle seats were Sun, Blake, Pyrrha, and Weiss; aisle seats were Ren, Nora, Jaune, and Ruby. Two rows were filled while the other two had one open seat. Jaune, Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ruby were assigned the rows with a gamble for the third seat.

As luck would have it, Weiss and Ruby found out their window seat was not taken by anybody by the time they began to depart. For the duration of the flight, Ruby had remained awake while Weiss slept soundly on her shoulder. Ruby didn't understand how anyone could sleep on a plane. The seats were so uncomfortable, they barely reclined, and Ruby was on the taller side, which meant she had no way of fully extending her legs.

Passing the time was another thing. Ruby could only watch one movie before getting a headache and moving onto something else. She did have her computer and tablet with her, so she could draw and finish some commissions.

She tried but stopped as soon as turbulence hit.

Seven hours had gone by slowly and painfully before they landed in Atlas. From there, the group would have to take a train to Argus, which was another two hours before officially making it to their final destination.

And despite how exhausted and ravenous they all were, Argus had finally been reached. They all checked into the hotel, received their assigned keys, and stayed in their rooms until Ruby notified everyone the next event on their schedule - dinner.

But until then, Ruby spent her time watching the snow fall outside. Even if it was still summer, the snow truly never ceased in this continent.

"I can't believe it snows all year 'round here!" Ruby sighed as she flopped rather ungracefully onto the bed. "It's like it's Christmas already~"

Weiss smiled as she ran her fingers through her dolt's long, red-tipped onyx hair. "I'm glad I moved to Vale when I did. You get sick of the snow after living in it for the majority of your life. Christmas doesn't feel as special."

"Christmas is always special! Snow or not, there's always spirit!"

"You dolt," the silverette placed a kiss on Ruby's nose. "Always such an optimist."

"Of course! People nowadays always complain about being depressed or dead inside, so I try to be happy to help them be happy!" She giggled sheepishly, twiddling with a strand of her hair. "Not sure if it makes too much sense..."

"It makes perfect sense. Now then," Weiss stood and stretched, "I am quite famished and would enjoy to be nourished properly before running in the snow tomorrow."

"Good call. I'm so excited to play tomorrow!"

* * *

Weiss was appointed leader by Ruby. She knew she shouldn't be nervous, she knew everybody here and knew their strengths. She was CEO of Schnee Industries for crying out loud! She shouldn't have any reason to fear!

So why did she freeze up when Ruby appointed her as leader?

"Weiss, I know you can do this." Ruby placed a kiss on Weiss's cheek and smiled. "You know this place. This is your home turf. Show us how amazing you are."

Taking a deep breath, Weiss steadied herself. She could do this. Besides, elimination games were her forte.

"Paintball in Argus is a little different compared to Vale. The most obvious difference is the snow. So, to stay hidden and well-camouflaged, everyone here must make a sacrifice of warmth."

All of them exchanged confused glances. Sun scratched the back of his head. "Hey, you don't mean..."

Weiss got down on the snow-covered ground and started piling snow onto herself. She rolled around until her clothes were caked with snow.

Sun stared with wide eyes, as did the others. "Aw hell no, I ain't doing that! It's freaking cold already!"

Ruby followed Weiss's example and covered herself with enough snow to keep hidden. One by one, the others followed suit until only one remained.

"Sun, just do it. It's not that bad," Ruby coaxed. "We gotta do all we can if we want to win."

"Nuh-uh, I'm gonna freaking die of hypothermia if I do that!"

"You're layered enough as it is," Nora groaned.

"I ain't gonna-"

Face first, Sun was pushed down to the ground by Yang, who started rolling him around until he was covered like the rest of them. When he stood, his scowl was brought upon all of them. "I hate you all."

"Now then," Weiss clapped and gathered her team's attention. "This field is very hilly. There are a lot of places to hide, but also a lot of places to fall and potentially hurt yourselves. Always proceed to any bunker with caution. First shots will be very useful on this field, so I'll have Ruby and Blake come with me."

Weiss looked up and at the other team on the other side of the open field. "I've played against these people before. I don't know if they're any better or worse than what I remember, but from what I know, they're a scrappy team. Their defense is weak, their offense is nonstrategic, and they don't have the best shooters either. On my command, Yang and Nora will go in and plow them straight to hell."

Ruby smiled as she watched Weiss take charge. She had never seen Weiss's leadership in action, and to see her plot strategies and implement some of Ruby's previous ones - Ruby couldn't be any more proud and impressed.

When both teams were ready, the referees brought them out onto the battlefield. The trees were far taller than the ones in the Emerald Forest, and Weiss was certainly right about the field's hilliness. One step could send them into a pit, and if you stepped into one of these while running, the chances of spraining or breaking something were pretty high.

Ten seconds. One look at Ruby's face told her so.

The life that she had left behind was about to resume.

As soon as the horn blared, the team of ten went blazing down the field, spreading out to cover the field in its entirety. According to Weiss's plan, Ren and Pyrrha were to flank on the left while Neptune and Jaune flanked to the right. Sun was a support for Yang and Nora. Weiss, Ruby, and Blake were spread out in the central flank to break through the opposing team's defense.

"How are you two holding up?" Weiss called out, gaining the attentions of Ruby and Blake.

"Cold, but pretty good!" Ruby replied, chipper as always.

Blake fired a few shots before answering. "I'm doing quite well."

"Neptune! Jaune!" Weiss looked in the direction of the two young men and signaled them to advance. They had a clear lane, and Weiss needed them to take it. "Take it right now!"

On command, the two rushed down to the next barrier and held their ground, taking every chance at eliminating opposing players. Weiss watched as her fellow teammates followed her command, her strategies and plans falling into place. Ren and Pyrrha would soon be able to advance, and Weiss would make sure of it. She aimed towards the left side to support the red and green duo. From where she was positioned on the field, however, the trees made it nearly impossible to take a precise shot.

"Hey, Weiss? Nothing's really happening right now," Ruby pointed out, holding her fire to face Weiss. "Any plans to counter?"

Weiss let a breath out through her nose, quickly coming up with a plan to get Ren and Pyrrha further up on the field.

"Gotta think fast here, Weiss."

"We need to push deeper into their territory. We're not close enough to the border to get the best windows, and we really need Ren and Pyrrha to move up with Jaune and Neptune."

"Who are you sending in?"

She needed to think strategically, evaluating every possible consequence that can come from each teammate. Her only options were her two fellow first shot users and her three forwards. Blake was good at evading, but she might not be able to take out enough to help the team advance. Yang was skilled - she could take out many players in one run, but in their most recent games, those runs always resulted in her getting hit. Nora was the same. Sun could go in, but he was currently serving as their main support.

Ruby was her only main choice. She had the blood of a true marksman in her - she could hit every mark without a missed shot and evade bullets like in _The Matrix_. If Ruby were to get hit, there were no devastating consequences. Ruby was not the leader of the game today, and Weiss was just as proficient as Ruby was in using first shots.

"I'm sending you in, Ruby."

The brunette nodded. "When do you want me to go in?"

"Now. I need you to go _now_." Weiss wasn't telling her. She demanded it.

In an instant, Ruby sprung up and charged down the center, quickly evading bullets behind every tree and bunker she could hide behind. Soon enough, however, Ruby started getting shot at, ending up stuck at a bunker towards the very center of the field. Ruby looked back to Weiss, seeming to call for support. When she stood back up, Weiss realized she was going back into the sprint.

"Hey, she's getting shot at! Help her! Someone help her!" The CEO looked around frantically for Sun. "SUN! HELP HER, HELP HELP HELP HELP HER!"

After hearing her booming voice, Sun ran straight after Ruby to help her. None of them had ever heard the CEO voice become so commanding. If you didn't know Weiss, you'd most likely be afraid to even be near her. When Weiss took charge, she sure as hell took charge.

"Ruby, watch your left!" Sun shouted behind her. "I'm coming up behind you, don't stop!"

Ruby rushed in through the opponent's side of the territory and took every shot she could take. As she ran back to the center to take cover, hits from the other team were called out as they walked off the field in shame.

"Everyone push forward!" Weiss rose to her feet, Blake following suit.

The team all advanced to the next bunker or tree, all of them now lined up in the center of the field. Ruby noticed the enemy team start pulling back into their territory.

"Weiss, their starting to retreat!" Ruby called out.

"There's no point, this is elimination! They know damn well it is!" The captain looked to Yang and Nora. "Both of you head in there, we're finishing this!"

"Awe hell yeah! Some bitches 'bout to die today!" Yang charged in at full speed, wailing as she and Nora fired away.

As soon as they went in, hits were called faster and more frequently than before. The group steadily made their way into enemy territory until they had their opponents cornered. To Weiss's surprise, none of her teammates were hit as they took out the remainder of the enemy team. When the final hit was called, the horn blared, and the game was over.

Coming out of the forest felt rewarding to Weiss somehow. Not only because she led her team to victory, but because a wave of nostalgia came over her. The air felt the same, the cool wind bit her nose, and the snow clung onto her clothes as they always had.

Her moment of peace ended rather quickly when a certain brunette tackled her to the ground, showering her with kisses like a puppy.

"Weiss! You did it!" Ruby grinned as she planted numerous kisses all over Weiss's face.

Weiss smiled as she sat up, Ruby straddling her legs. "I did nothing, it was a team effort."

The artist shook her head and giggled. "But you brought us here! We won because of you! I'm so proud of you!"

Ruffling Ruby's hair, Weiss pecked her girlfriend's forehead gently. "Thank you, Ruby. It means a lot to me hearing that from you."

"Aw, of course! You're seriously so amazing, I've never seen you be so assertive like that! Well, that's not entirely true..." Ruby grinned as she pulled Weiss closer. "The bedroom's always a different atmosphere."

"You're unbelievable," Weiss murmured, pressing her lips into Ruby's in a rather steamy and passionate kiss.

"Jeez, you two, get a room!" Yang smacked the back of Ruby's head and snickered. Her laughing was quickly silenced when Blake scolded her for interrupting her sister in such a rude manner. "What? I was just teasing—ow ow ow, okay! Easy on the hair!"

"I guess we should get up now, it's actually starting to get cold. The adrenaline rush is wearing off." Ruby stood up and helped her partner to her feet, joining the group quickly afterwards.

Ruby gathered up the group to be courteous and praise the other team for their efforts. She never did it out of sympathy, but because it was a fun game and the other team fought well.

"Alright peeps, it's getting cold, and I demand satisfaction! We're going back to the city to get some coffee and then we'll be on our merry way to the convention!"

The group cheered as they followed Ruby back to the bus stop from which they arrived, and Weiss couldn't help but smile at the sight of her ecstatic partner.

"Hey Weiss, after the convention, do you mind showing me around Atlas at some point?"

"What for?"

The energetic paintballer rested her on Weiss's shoulder. "I wanna see the places you grew up in, all of your favorite shops or restaurants, all that jazz."

Weiss felt that this would be a good idea and a great experience for Ruby. A little trip down memory lane. And Ruby would enjoy the famous bakery without a doubt. "You really want to?"

With her famous puppy eyes, Ruby nodded and smiled. In response to that, Weiss nodded and giggled. "Alright then. We can go in the afternoon after the convention."

And with that, Ruby found she had so much to look forward to. And she would do it all with the one she loved.

But first thing's first: she had a convention to attend.

* * *

**Howdy! Been a long while, huh? My free time has become scarce, which really stinks since I wanna work on this fanfic more. Also happy new year! I'm honestly still wondering when the heck 2017 passed. Seriously can't believe it's 2020. Kinda scary.**

**Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I promise I'll continue working on this whenever I can!**

**Reviews and thoughts are always appreciated, no matter how long or short!**


	8. Chapter 8

Ruby couldn't believe it was happening. It was finally happening. Her biggest life goal as a paintballer was to attend the biggest and grandest paintball convention in the world: the Argus Paintball Convention.

It was practically every hardcore paintballer's dream to attend the APC. Hundreds of thousands come to view panels, check out the amazing gear, and meet some of the biggest paintball stars in the world.

Yes, this was the very place Ruby could geek out 'til her heart's content. the only thing that was stopping her was the incredibly long line ahead of them. The doors had not opened yet, and many people were seen camping just in front of the convention doors.

"It's a good thing we bought line passes, otherwise we'd be here for hours," Sun said.

"And it's a good thing we bought them before they sold out," Ruby added.

It took the group no more than an hour to get in once the paintball heaven gates opened up. Inside, Ruby was already bouncing about, gawking at the equipment on display, greeting all of her fellow competitors from over the years, and inquiring about the latest line of magfed markers.

"This place is much larger than I anticipated," Weiss murmured. "One can easily get lost here."

Yang snickered. "I think Ruby already is."

True enough, Ruby had disappeared from the group. She was now lost in the sea of paintballers, with no form of communication with the others due to fact that their scroll provider was not available in this continent, and Weiss knew for a fact that Ruby did not turn on her roaming setting.

Weiss sighed and facepalmed. "Shit."

As if she were a lost dog, the group started calling out her name desperately. At one point, Weiss had thought she caught a glimpse of unmistakable red tips. Sadly, they were mistakable and ended up leading Weiss towards a much older man with a mullet. He immediately tried flirting with her, but was quickly shut down when a certain young woman appeared in front of him.

"Hey man, no trouble or anything, but this girl's mine." Ruby smile brightly for a split second before frowning at him.

"Ruby!" Weiss was quick to wrap her arms around the taller woman. "Where the hell did you go?!"

"I went to find the bathroom." The paintballer meekly rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I should've said something. Thought I could make it back without anyone noticing."

The CEO shook her head and tittered. "You dolt, did you find it?"

"Not yet. Got distracted when I saw that dude hitting on you." She shivered and stuck her tongue out at him, regardless of whether he was looking or not. "He seemed really creepy."

"Do you still need to find the bathroom? I can go with you."

Ruby smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Weiss." Just as they were about to move, Ruby paused. "I-It's not gonna be like what I think it will be like, is it?"

"I haven't the slightest clue of what you are talking about." Weiss grabbed Ruby's hand and continued to lead her through the crowd. "Hurry up, the others are going to get worried."

"So w-we're getting it on? In a public toilet?" Ruby was visibly dumbfounded. "Literally the last place I'd expect you to want me?"

"What are you going on about? We're finding you the restroom and returning to the group as soon as you finish. Whatever you are pondering about comes later, you dolt."

As those two went in search of a restroom, the rest of the group continued to hunt for Ruby. It was at this time that they realized Weiss was missing as well.

"Fuuuuuuuuuck, why does this always happen?" Sun groaned and whined as he scratched his head.

"Sun, I'm sure they're fine," Pyrrha said. "Maybe Weiss found Ruby already."

"If that was the case, why didn't she bring her back yet?" As carefree and lazy the blonde was, he could really get worried if he saw fit.

"Maybe Ruby found a certain stall and dragged Weiss with her," Ren suggested.

Yang smirked. "Or maybe Ruby dragged Weiss behind a wall to do kinky stuff."

The comment received many glares and very sharp punch to the shoulder from Blake. "What? It's possible!" When nobody responded the way she thought they would, Yang groaned and crossed her arms bitterly. "You guys don't understand humor."

"You don't have any," Sun mumbled.

"Oh shut up. Not like you could do any better."

"I bet I can."

Blake grabbed them both by the ear and dragged them over to the rest of the group. The two blondes haven't realized Ruby and Weiss returned from wherever they went.

"Where'd you two go? We were worried sick, you bimbos!" Sun berated and crossed his arms. "Do you have any idea how easy it is to get lost here?"

Ruby rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the blonde man. "You're not my dad, Sun! I was just trying to find the bathroom, and Weiss found me and helped me."

"Helped you with what? Getting off?" Yang started snickering again, which only resulted in many pairs of eyes glaring at her.

"Yang, you promised me," the young brunette sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "You promised me no dirty jokes on this trip."

The blonde brute whined and crossed her arms like a child. "Fine. You guys are no fun."

The group continued onward in their quest roam about the entire convention. Ruby pointed out the majority of the things that had caught the group's attention. Especially a certain booth that advertised for useful paintball gear. The one Ruby was interested in was a booth selling ammo counters. True to their name, these devices were set to count ammo and display to the player how much was left.

And Ruby wanted one.

She moved quickly to find one on display to check the specs and price. Just by feeling it, she could tell it was a high-quality product. It contained technology strong enough to detect every shot fired. Not only that, this device tracked the speed and velocity of the paintball. With the press of a button, Ruby could know the velocity of the ball and adjust to hit her target dead on. Only in rich places would you find tech like this. She would have to be incredibly lucky to find this in Vale. Of course, there was always a price to pay for such products. After finding the price tag, Ruby hissed and winced. Even if she had saved enough for this trip and enough to spend, she had a budget. This device blew way past her budget.

Glancing up, she noticed one of the booth tenders walk up to her. He was a tall, slender young man with sunglasses and a black fedora. "Need any help there?"

Ruby sighed and shook her head. "Nah, I'm good."

"Are you interested in purchasing one?"

"I am very interested, but," Ruby drew out a defeated smile, "alas, purchasing such an item would leave me bankrupt."

The young man chuckled. "I completely understand. I personally wish we could lower our prices, but this is the lowest we can go."

"I get that. You can't find anything like this in Vale," the brunette admitted.

"Pardon me, Miss," the young man turned to face her. "You wouldn't happen to be Ruby Rose, would you?"

"You know about me?"

His eyes suddenly widened. "You're the real Ruby Rose? You're a legend! The greatest paintballer in Sanus!"

Ruby's heart jumped. Since when did she have fans? "How do you know that?"

"How wouldn't I know? You're the first paintballer to compete in the world tournament alone! Many people usually go in teams, the least being a duo. But you - you were the only person to go alone and take out every team! Everyone has to have heard about you!"

"O-Oh, um, that's really flattering," she nervously tittered. Ruby had never met actual fans before.

"You said something about the price, didn't you? I may not be able to change the price too much, but perhaps I could add another item of your choice? Or perhaps I could lower it in exchange for a coffee date?"

Before she could speak, Ruby's opportunity was taken from her.

"That won't be necessary." Weiss stepped in, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "I'll pay for it. Full. Price."

"Weiss, he's just being nice-"

Weiss leaned in close to Ruby's ear. "No. He's not. Whether he knows you or not, he's still nothing more than a salesman who knows what he wants. Trust me on this." Regaining her composure, Weiss straightened herself out and took out her wallet.

Ruby wanted to protest, but she realized that Weiss knew this fact more than anyone. Her father ran the biggest company in the world. Weiss had always said that her father's business partners, even some of her current ones, acted in the same matter that this young man did. Ruby wasn't sure what the subtext was that hid beneath his words, but she trusted Weiss.

As she thought about this, Weiss had finished the payment process and handed Ruby a smooth black box that contained what she assumed to be the counter. "Here you go, you dolt."

"Thanks, Weiss, but uh...was there any reason why you bought it?"

A white eyebrow arched in question. "Is it a crime to spoil the one I love?"

"N-No! Not at all, it's just..." Ruby lowered her head close to Weiss' face. "Are you sure you aren't _jealous_?"

"Jealous?" Weiss scoffed. "That's preposterous. I don't get..._jealous_."

"Sure, sure, whatever you say. What if he was actually trying to be nice though? Like, I know you can see through people, but what if those weren't his intentions?"

"He tried to ask you out! In front of me!"

"What? No he didn't," the brunette replied. "I think he was genuinely trying to be nice."

Weiss stopped dead in her tracks and glared at her girlfriend. "So if we weren't dating, would you have gone out with him?"

Throwing her hands up, Ruby laughed. "Of course not! I'm as straight as a rainbow, everyone knows that!"

With a sigh, Weiss' anger visibly deflated as she leaned into Ruby's body. "Honestly...he had the audacity to ask you out. In front of me."

"Okay, how about...whether he asked me anything or not, and you still saw me looking at the device-"

Ruby received a shrug from her girlfriend. "I still would have bought it for you."

This brought a smile to Ruby's face. Weiss never ceased to make her feel loved. It was amazing, really. Ruby still finds herself dumbfounded by the fact that she was the partner of the world's most successful CEO.

Continuing through the convention, Ruby found herself in various pictures and selfies with many fans, signed autographs upon request, and even received a few gifts from some very gracious convention attendees. By the time they found a place to sit, Ruby felt exhausted. Her friends suggested they sit and rest, but Ruby shook it off and smiled. There was still so much more to do.

Time flew quicker than Ruby would have liked. They had attended many panels and gear showcases, but not as many as Ruby hoped. On the bright side, at least she attended the ones she had always wanted to see.

It was about time for them to return to the city when Ruby caught a glance of one of her idols. Yang and Blake noticed alongside Ruby, wide-eyed when they realized they were in the presence of a true paintballer.

"Hey Rubes, is that who I think it is?"

"I-I think it is," Ruby replied in a breathy whisper. "Blake, what do you think?"

The raven-haired girl nodded in confirmation. "That's her. That's the Grimm Reaper."

Upon impulse, the three walked up to the woman that wore a skull mask atop her head. Ruby could feel her heartbeat pick up rapidly as they got closer. The woman turned, facing the three before her. She smiled.

"Are you the Grimm Reaper?" Ruby queried.

The woman nodded. "Ruby Rose, aren't you? You can call me Maria Calavera."

"Y-You know me?"

Maria chuckled. "Dear, when you live as old as me, you see a lot of things in your life. Some things stick out, and some things don't. But you - I've never seen anyone play with as much heart as you, Miss Rose. Believe me when I say that I watch all of your televised events."

Ruby couldn't believe her ears. She turned to Yang and Blake, who both had wide eyes and agape smiles. With a bow, Ruby breathlessly spoke. "I-I...I'm truly honored..."

"At ease, dear, at ease," the woman tittered. She looked to those beside Ruby, including the rest of her group just behind. "Friends of yours? Would you all like autographs? Perhaps some pictures?"

"I think we'd all love that," Ruby answered, turning to her friends and teammates. She turned to Weiss. "Have you heard of the Grimm Reaper, Weiss?"

The CEO nodded. She swiftly trotted towards the world-class paintballer. "Miss Maria Calavera, it is an honor to meet you here. I've been to almost all of your matches since I was a child. You've been my hero all my life."

With a bright smile, Maria shook Weiss' hands and clasped them tightly. "Weiss Schnee. I used to know your grandmother."

Icy blue eyes enlarged at the statement. "You knew Nana Schnee?"

"We were best friends in high school." The paintballer placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "You have her strong spirit, I can tell."

Weiss looked to Ruby, who looked ready to sweep her up and take her home - in a happy and totally-not-sexual way. Definitely not sexual in any way. Totally not in any way whatsoever.

"Well, Miss Calavera, it was an honor to meet you." Ruby smiled and shook the woman's hand once more. "As much as we would all enjoy staying longer, we've all got more on our agenda tonight."

"It's quite alright, dear. I do look forward to seeing you work hard again." With a smile, Maria adjusted her glasses. "You will be competing again, won't you?"

"Yes ma'am, I'm already training for it. I won't let you down."

"Oh, before you all leave, would you still like some pictures?"

The group smiled simultaneously and pulled out their devices. They gathered around the small woman and captured a few photos before bidding her goodbye.

While the main group made their way back to the hotel, Ruby and Weiss fell back to stroll through the city. Hand in hand, the two stayed close to shield each other from the harsh cold of Argus. Ruby whistled a tune that was unfamiliar to Weiss, but she listened nonetheless. She enjoyed hearing Ruby's heartbeat, listening to her break out into song in some instances, and feeling the warmth she radiated.

"Did you ever come to Argus, Weiss?"

The CEO nodded. "My grandmother and grandfather had a house here. I would visit many times as a child. Of course I can no longer do so, they've passed many years ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be. They lived a long and happy life together."

Ruby squeezed Weiss' hand gently and looked into her beautiful icy blue eyes. "Do you think we'll live a long and happy life?"

Weiss smiled and leaned into Ruby's body, wrapping the talker girl's arms around herself. "I'd like to think we already are, Ruby. Though not very far yet in terms of years, I believe we're living happily together and will be for many years to come."

Pressing a kiss to Weiss's soft lips, Ruby leaned in close to her girlfriend's ear. "I love you so much, Weiss. I know that I'm happy with you."

"I love you too, Ruby." With Ruby's hand in hers, Weiss continued to lead her girlfriend down the street. "Where would you like to start?"

"Show me all of the places you loved. I'd love to see all the places that you grew up in."

There was a twinkle in Ruby's silver eyes that Weiss swore she would never get over. Ruby's smile always managed to pick up Weiss's heart rate. With Ruby's hand in hers, Weiss started leading Ruby down the street, past many small shops and cafes. They went into the subway station, where Weiss purchased passes for the both of them.

"So where're we heading first?" Ruby asked as they entered the train. She allowed Weiss to sit while she stood, grasping the handlebar above firmly.

"To the heart of Argus. We are currently on the outskirts. My visits to Argus were always in the more common areas."

As the train began to embark, Ruby took Weiss's hand in her own, smiling when she saw the blush on her girlfriend's face. Leaving the station behind revealed the gorgeous landscapes of Argus. The sun was close to resting on the horizon, bringing out fiery orange and gentle pink hues in the sky. The snow that sat atop the hills and mountains held the glow of the sun, turning its usual white into bright yellows and cool purples in the shadows. Ruby couldn't look away. But then she found something else to set her eyes on.

Weiss's icy blue eyes, though as cold as they seemed, were the warmest pair Ruby had ever seen. They were always filled with kindness and love, regardless of how people see her. Then there was her hair. Oh, how soft and silky her snowy locks were. Ruby loved running her fingers through those strands. She knew Weiss's favorite way to style her hair was with a ponytail on the right side of her head, though as of late, Weiss had taken to a braid instead. All hairstyles were fine and dandy, but the most beautiful one was whenever Weiss wore her hair down. Weiss always wore her hair down whenever she was dressing to impress someone, and most of the time Weiss dressed for Ruby, and Ruby only. Then her body. Weiss was very fit, though leaning more on the thin side. She was also very small. In more ways than one. But Ruby loved her all the same.

The train arrived soon in the heart of Argus, and Ruby suddenly had a thought. "Hey Weiss, what's your family like?"

"My family?" Weiss was taken aback. "What brought that on?"

"Well, I was just thinking about how beautiful you are and I wondered, 'Who made my super hot and amazing girlfriend?'" The paintballer grinned as she gave her answer.

"I suppose it is about time you learn about my family." The CEO followed everyone else off of the train with Ruby behind her. Once they were in the station, they began roaming the city. "I have an older sister and a younger brother. I've told you about my sister before, haven't I?"

"Yeah, you said she's vice prez of the company, right?"

Weiss nodded. "That is correct. While I hear from my sister every so often, I haven't heard from my brother in years. Neither has my sister."

"What was he like?"

"Well," Weiss tried to gather her thoughts and salvage what memory she had left of her brother. "His name was Whitley. He's much younger than me, he's a spitting image of his father, and he's very sly and cunning."

"_His_ father?"

"Winter's and my step-father."

Ruby's lips formed an 'o' shape as she understood.

"He inherited my mother's natural white hair, just as Winter and I have." Weiss ran her fingers through her long locks. "Winter and Whitley took after my father and step-father respectively, but me...I looked just like my mother...he hated me for it."

"What was that last bit?" Dark eyebrows raised in question. Ruby could feel a sudden shift in Weiss's behavior. She seemed nervous...afraid.

She shook her head, her smile returning. "N-Never mind. We're at our first stop."

Looking up, Ruby immediately noticed the huge sign above the entrance. "A bakery?"

"Not just any bakery, Ruby." Weiss pulled Ruby inside and led her to the display case.

As soon as Ruby took a breath, her whole demeanor changed. She went from calm and collected to hyper as a puppy in the matter of seconds. As fast as a paintball fired from her marker, Ruby sprinted right up to the display case, marveling over every pastry there was.

Despite all of these treats here to distract her, Ruby still felt Weiss's unease.

"See anything you like?" The smaller silverette stood beside Ruby as they looked over the array of pastries and treats.

A devilish smirk appeared on Ruby's face. "I did until you appeared."

Weiss rolled her eyes and tittered, flicking Ruby's forehead. "Dolt, I'm serious. What do you want?"

"Hmm," Ruby stroked her chin in thought. "What do you recommend?"

"Well, I've been here countless times throughout the many years I've lived in Solitas and yet I always find myself eating the simplest of the simple." Behind one of the fancier treats was a small stack of chocolate chip cookies.

"Chocolate chip cookies? I would've pinned you for that truffle cake or the tiramisu over there."

"Do I really seem like some posh girl to you?" With arms crossed, Weiss turned to face Ruby.

"I mean..." Ruby started nodding like it was obvious. "You kinda are some posh girl. And I'm not the only one who sees it."

Weiss deflated. "But I'm not..."

The younger woman giggled and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman. "Don't worry. You're my posh girl." The paintballer pulled away with a smile. "Now then, let's get down to business. Do they have milk to go with those cookies?"

"I'm not sure, I don't usually have milk with cookies."

Her arms hung from her body, her mouth agape as she stood there with disbelief. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. My girlfriend doesn't eat her cookies properly?!"

"Ruby, lower your voice!" Weiss tried to calm her girlfriend, only resulting in failure when the taller, stronger, and more determined girl marched right up to the front counter.

"Excuse me, my girlfriend doesn't know how to eat cookies properly! Can I get a dozen of your best chocolate chip cookies as well as a glass of warm milk?!" Ruby stood there with a scowl, her silver eyes piercing into the soul of the cashier.

"Ruby, what the hell? You're going to get us kicked out!"

The cashier shook his head in disappointment, removing his bowler hat to reveal his shiny orange hair. "No ma'am, I'm afraid _you_ are the one to get you both kicked out."

Icy blue eyes widened in shock. "Huh?!"

"How long has she been eating cookies incorrectly?"

Weiss couldn't fathom what was happening. "I'm not the only who eats cookies without milk."

The ginger cashier disregarded her statement and looked to Ruby. Ruby let out a heft sigh and shook her head. "Her whole life. Sad, isn't it?"

"Don't you both ignore me!"

Leaning on the counter, the cashier gestured Ruby closer. "I'll get you those cookies and milk if you swear she will forgo her previous ways and walk in the light."

"Worry not, my good sir, my girlfriend shall walk in truth from this moment onward," declared the paintballer. She placed her hands over her heart. "Til death do we part, my lover shall no longer live in shadows."

She couldn't look up. She couldn't look Ruby in the eyes. Her face was as red as Ruby's tips, her face hot enough to melt the ice caps in Atlas. When Ruby was finished with the cashier, Weiss flicked the younger woman's forehead. "You're so embarrassing. I can't believe you said all of that."

Ruby grinned. "You love it, I know you do."

Weiss headbutted Ruby's chest and pouted. "You're insufferable."

"Love you too, Snowflake."

They sat at a table near the entrance and waited for their cookies and milk. Ruby rested her chin on her arms, surveying the small bakery. As they waited, Ruby thought back to earlier. Weiss seemed fine talking about her siblings, but then she froze. Speaking about her step-father seemed to bother her somehow.

"Weiss," Ruby murmured.

"Yes, Ruby?"

Silver eyes glanced up at icy blue ones. "Do you ever miss your dad? Your actual dad?"

A pang of sadness darted through Weiss, and Ruby saw it in her eyes. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss him. Why do you ask?"

"I just..." Ruby sat up and held Weiss's hands. "I know what it's like to lose someone, and if it ever bothers you, I want you to know that I'm here for you. You can always talk to me about it, or anything that might bother you for that matter."

"Your mother, wasn't it?" Weiss's eyes showed melancholy. Ruby knew she wasn't trying to pry. It was now that Ruby had realized Weiss had no one else to relate to before they met.

"Yeah," the young woman sighed, "I lost my mother when I was in eighth grade. She had cancer for a while, and for a little bit, things started looking better for her. Too bad that wasn't the case."

Weiss's heart broke when she saw how pained Ruby appeared. She held Ruby's hand tightly. "Ruby..."

"No," Ruby sniffled, "it's alright. I believe these kinds of things happen for a reason."

"I..." Weiss felt her heartbeat hasten. She noticed Ruby watching her intently. "I'm thankful I have you, Ruby."

"Confide in me, Weiss. I will always be here for you. I have your back," she smiled brightly. "I promise."

They both gazed into each other's souls with all the love they could muster. The tender moment, however, was ruined when the cashier appeared with the batch of cookies and glass of milk.

"In the name of the cookie gods and all things sweet, I baptize you. Go forth now, you shall walk in the bakery's favor," he said with a sincere smile. "Take good care of her, Red."

"Will do. Thank you!" After waving him off, Ruby tucked in and grabbed a cookie. She dunked it in the warm milk and savored every bite.

"You know it isn't sanitary to dip your already-bitten cookie back into your milk, right?" Weiss felt her muscles cringe at the thought.

"Whatever, Weiss, like you're one to talk. I know you've eaten something much dirtier than this," Ruby retorted with a smirk. She chuckled upon noticing the bright blush on her partner's cheeks. "Just eat the cookie, Weiss. You're not gonna die."

"Fine. If I do die, however," the small businesswoman glared at her partner with all seriousness, "it _will_ be your fault."

Reluctantly, Weiss dipped one of the cookies into the milk. There were small crumbs from Ruby's cookie floating around in the white beverage, only giving Weiss more reason to refuse doing this and continue "walking in the shadows." But, this was for Ruby. Swallowing her pride—and the high probability of getting sick—Weiss bit into the cookie.

"So? What do you think?"

In the most monotonous voice Ruby had ever heard, Weiss plainly said, "It's delicious."

A wide smile curled onto Ruby's lips. "It is, huh? And did you die?"

"That remains to be seen," Weiss replied. She continued to eat the cookies with milk, not forgetting the fact that Ruby was staring at her like a puppy would her master.

"You know, you look super hot right now."

"I'm just eating cookies."

Silver eyes flashed a hint of desire. "I really want you to eat something else right now."

"You're unbelievable. Hurry up and finish the rest of the cookies, there are still other places to cover."

After finishing the rest of the treats, Weiss took Ruby's hand and led her to destination after destination. Weiss was sure to go to every place that held her fondest memories, hoping Ruby would catch a glimpse of what her precious childhood was like. They had gone to her favorite park, some of her favorite clothing stores, a paintball shop where she received her first marker, all to name a few out of the many places they had visited. Revisiting these places felt so nostalgic to Weiss. She remembered to all of these places as a child with her grandparents and her sister. She missed how close they used to be, how often they would play and laugh.

"You alright, Weiss?" Ruby peeked down at her girlfriend's face, following her gaze to see where she might be looking.

Weiss blinked a few times before returning to reality. "Yes, yes, sorry. I just remembered the many times Winter and I would come here. We used to be so close."

"How close?"

"As close as you and Yang are. Ruby, if I'm honest with you," the smaller girl hesitantly looked up into Ruby's silver eyes, "I envy your relationship with Yang. Winter and I used to be as close as you two are, but when my step-father came, she just seemed so far away from me. Despite how much better we have it now, she still seems out of reach."

"Then why don't you reach out to her?"

"Reach out to her?"

"When was the last time you called her for reasons other than work?" Ruby queried. "You should try calling her, maybe you'll end up brightening her day. I know my day gets brighter whenever you call me."

The CEO sighed. "My sister is different, Ruby. She's always busy."

"Do you know that for a fact?"

"...no..."

The brunette smiled. "There you go. Why don't you call her now? If she's busy, then you can try again another time."

"Ruby, what if she -"

"You're worrying too much, Weiss. If you really want to reconnect, why don't you do it? Right here, right now." Ruby pulled Weiss's scroll from her purse and handed it to her. "If she's really your sister, I'm sure she'll make time for you."

Weiss stared at the electronic in her hand. She scrolled through her contacts until she found Winter's name. Then she froze.

"R-Ruby, I'm nervous. I haven't spoken to her informally in years."

Taking Weiss's free hand, Ruby pressed a kiss to her knuckles and smiled. "I'm right here with you. You're going to be okay."

With a deep breath, Weiss dialed the number and held the device up to her ear. She could hear her heart racing in her chest. Having Ruby by her side was helping by copious amounts. After the second ring, the phone on the other side picked up.

"W-Winter?"

_"Weiss, is something wrong? Is there a meeting I should be in right now?"_

"No, none of the sorts."

_"What is the nature of your call then? You never call out of the blue like this."_

"I just...I just want to know how you're doing. We haven't spoken for a while now. I..." Weiss looked to Ruby for support before finding the words she needed to say. "I miss you, Winter."

_"Oh, Weiss...I miss you as well. I'm terribly sorry for not being a proper sister, especially back then. I'm doing quite well, though this company never fails to keep me busy. How are you?"_

The silverette smiled. "I'm doing well myself. I'm actually in Argus with my friends right now."

_"How I wish I could visit and meet you there, Sister. There are some matters I must attend to this week, I'm afraid. For curiosity's sake, who gave you the idea to call? I know for a fact that you never deviate from schedule. Someone must have put you up to this."_

"No one put me up to this!" Weiss let out a breath and gave her girlfriend a loving look. "It was my girlfriend who gave me courage to call you."

_"Girlfriend?"_

It was in this moment that Weiss realized she had just come out to her sister and reveal that she was in a relationship. "Shit. It came out too soon. _I_ came out too soon."

_"Too soon? I'd much rather say far too late! It's no wonder you could never find a man!"_

"You're not mad?"

_"Sister, whatever makes you happy will make me happy. I'd like to meet her someday. Perhaps when I come for the next company meeting."_

"That's a relief to hear, Winter. Thank you."

_"Of course. But you do know that he will not be happy about this. And he will find out one way or another."_

Weiss sighed heavily. "I know. I don't look forward to it."

_"Maybe he'll find out the second he dies, who knows? Just keep it in mind, Sister, but don't let it bother you. I'm sure it will all turn out alright."_

"Thank you, Winter. That does make me feel easier."

_"Now as much as I enjoyed this, I'm afraid I must return to work. It was lovely speaking to you again, Weiss. I hope we can talk again soon."_

"Bye, Winter." After putting her scroll away, Weiss looked at Ruby, who had an intense desire to know every detail of their conversation.

"Sooooo?"

"What?"

Ruby waggled her eyebrows. "How'd it go with your sister?"

"She was actually happy to talk to me," Weiss responded. "What's with that face, you dolt?"

The smug grin on Ruby's face made Weiss giggle. "I told you. All you had to do was call and see. What'd you talk about, other than coming out to her?"

"She just asked me how I was, I asked her in turn, and that was all."

"What? I'm sure there's more, wasn't there?"

Weiss shook her head. Ruby couldn't know yet. She wasn't ready. Weiss wasn't even sure if she herself was ready. "It's about the company. We're planning to host another business party, and I'm not usually fond of those."

There was truth to Weiss's words. Coco convinced her not too long ago to plan a business party because she needed a reason to get drunk at work. However, this wasn't _the_ truth Ruby was supposed to hear.

Something flashed in Ruby's eyes. Weiss knew in that moment that Ruby saw right through her. "That's not what you talked about, though, is it?"

With a heavy sigh, Weiss took Ruby's hands and led her to a suburban neighborhood. There were children playing outside, old people going on walks, it seemed really nice and serene. "I need to show you something."

"Where are we going?"

Within minutes, the two of them came upon a small house. It was old, the paint was dated, and it appeared as though nobody has lived in it for years. They both stopped to take a good look at it. Then Weiss made her way to the front door and opened it.

"Woah, what the hell?! Weiss, what're you doing?!" Ruby ran after Weiss and followed her inside the house. As she slowly stepped around the home, she quickly noticed the many pictures of ivory-haired people that had the same icy blue eyes as her girlfriend. "Weiss, is this-"

"This is my grandparents' house. These pictures are of my Nana and Nicholas Schnee. I bought this house not long after they died. After moving out of my parents' house, I wanted to live here. Then I met Blake, and she led me to Vale." The silverette took in a breath, getting a good whiff of the old house smell. "I remember this place..."

"Damn, your gramps was pretty hot! I can see where his granddaughter gets it," Ruby said with a smile. Then her smile faded as she saw the look on Weiss's face. "Why...why did you bring me here?"

Coming out of the living room, Weiss held a picture in her hand. "I want you to meet my father."

The paintballer felt her heart drop. She felt honored, but so terrified at the same time. Weiss barely spoke about her parents, and now she's suddenly going to meet them?

"This is the only picture I have left of him. We lost all of our other pictures after that one night," Weiss murmured as she handed Ruby the small picture.

The young man had beautiful white hair and deep blue eyes. The woman beside him had the same white hair with icy blue eyes. A young girl stood before the father, her white hair adorned in a top bun, deep blue eyes like his. Then a very young toddler with growing white hair and striking icy blues.

Ruby sat down on the floor, tears in her eyes as she stared at the picture. "H-Hi there, Mister Schnee. I-I'm R-R-Ruby Rose, your daughter's girlfriend." Tears began pooling in Ruby's eyes. Her voice quivered, and her throat grew tense as she struggled to speak. "You have a very beautiful family, Sir. I wish I could actually meet you, b-but what can you do?"

"Ruby..." Weiss sat down and wrapped her arms around her partner. "There's no need to cry."

"I c-can't help it, it's just...I feel like I'm talking to my mother." Ruby turned and gave Weiss a smile. "I loved talking to her, even when she wasn't here. Just like my mother, I can feel him here."

She turned back to the picture. "I love your daughter very much, Sir. I know every father worries about their daughter ending up with the wrong person who will treat them poorly, but I promise I will take care of her for the rest of my days. Leave it all to me, Mister Schnee."

"His name is Myrtenaster. He would've liked you, Ruby, believe me."

The brunette wiped her tears and smiled. "That's the name of your marker. You named your marker after your father, that's so sweet."

Weiss nodded and then looked away. "Now that you've met my father, it's important that you know my step-father is nothing like him. I would have let you meet who he used to be, but...he's not who he used to be. You can never meet him, Ruby. He will hurt you in every way possible. His mental health has taken a decline ever since he stepped down from the company."

"Why did he step down?"

"He became a drunkard. And because he couldn't handle alcohol the same way your uncle can, he became psychotic and mentally ill." Weiss shivered as she leaned into Ruby's warmth. "He used to be so good, and I loved him. But I can never forgive him."

"Wow, Weiss, I'm so sorry about that." Ruby rubbed Weiss's back and ran her fingers through ivory strands.

"It's not your fault." Standing up, Weiss took Ruby's hand and pulled her up. "I have never told anyone about this."

"This must have been hard for you. But I'm glad you did. Thank you, Weiss. " Gently holding her face, Ruby kissed Weiss's lips sweetly. "I'm proud of you."

"Let's go back to the hotel now. I do believe we have a reservation for dinner later, do we not?"

Silver eyes lit up with exuberance. "Oh yeah, we're going to the ramen house! I'm so excited for that!"

The couple of paintballers made their way back to meet with their friends. That night, they all ate a wonderful dinner filled with many bowls of noodles and meat as well as karaoke and drinks. Weiss sat at the bar with Blake, watching their girlfriends make fools of themselves on stage. When they returned to the hotel, Weiss was automatically assigned to the task of taking care of Ruby.

The only thing was...Ruby was the one who took care of Weiss that night.

* * *

**How do you do, my lovely readers? Hope you're doing well and staying safe inside, yes?**

**It has been a while, yes, but I am doing the best I can! With all the stuff going on in the world right now, it's hard to continue working and studying while writing this. But I manage for all of you!**

**Leave reviews if you wish, I very much enjoy reading them! See y'all in the next chapter!**


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